Cripta di San Biagio, la cappella sistina dell'arte bizantina

Dario Melissano 24 November 2022

The rock church of San Biagio is located inside a Byzantine monastic complex built along the rocky walls of the small canyon created by the Canale Reale. We are in the province of Brindisi, in the direction of San Vito dei Normanni.

This is one of the most important rock settlements in Italy, especially notable for the presence of an intact and well-preserved pictorial cycle that adorns the church. A community of Italo-Byzantine monks settled here before the 12th century. It is believed that the caves were probably used in earlier times as well. The settlement was inhabited until the 15th century.

The church of San Biagio once had two entrances, one to access the presbytery, the other for the faithful.

The church consists of a large rectangular room. There is no trace of an altar or iconostasis, due to alterations dating back to the 18th century. However, two areas can be distinguished: the naos, where the rite was celebrated, and the bema, reserved for the faithful.

On the southern wall a low seat, called a sintronus, was created. There are also two niches, one in the southern wall, the other in the eastern wall, probably with a liturgical function.

On the walls you can see inscriptions in Greek. Among these there is one that reports the date of October 8, 1196 and information about the financier of the pictorial cycle, about the master builder, a certain Martino, and about the Byzantine abbot and the painter, a certain Daniele.

The paintings on the vault and the walls represent one of the most interesting pictorial cycles in Puglia, inspired by Byzantine models but with influences from local traditions. Christological scenes inspired by the apocryphal gospels and oriental martyrologies are represented.

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Crypt of San Biagio, the Sistine Chapel of Byzantine Art

Written by Dario Melissano

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Crypt of San Biagio, the Sistine Chapel of Byzantine Art

Written by Dario Melissano

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