Manduria, the city of 40 churches

Manduria is a city in the province of Taranto with almost 30 thousand inhabitants. Its name could derive from the almond tree, which has always been present in the surrounding countryside, as well as on the city's coat of arms.

Founded by the Messapians, it still bears numerous testimonies of its past, including the megalithic walls, surrounded by the remains of the moat that surrounded the city, and the necropolis.

It faced various wars with nearby Taranto, during one of which Archidamus, king of Sparta, an ally of the Tarentines, was killed in 338 BC.

Around 266 BC, Manduria became part of the Roman dominions together with the other Messapian centers of Salento, following the capture of Brindisi. During Hannibal's descent into Italy, Manduria sided with the cities rebelling against Rome and for this reason the repression was very harsh: historical sources report the deportation of thousands of men. The Via Traiana Sallentina passed through Manduria.

Destroyed in the following centuries by the Saracens, it was refounded in the 11th century with the name of Casalnuovo, only partially occupying the old city of Manduria.

]

The Mother Church or Collegiate Church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, is certainly the most notable church in the city, in Apulian Renaissance style.

The original building, certainly attributable to the Norman era, was smaller than the current one and probably occupied the area of ​​today's presbytery. The surviving witnesses of the original structure are almost certainly the two stylobate lions placed on the sides of the portal. The façade, in the upper part, highlights a Romanesque rose window which, together with the magnificent portal, is the work of the master Raimondo da Francavilla (1532).

The majestic presbytery has a beautiful choir. The high vault is framed by rich cornices. The elegant apse is enriched by 14 statues in gilded Lecce stone.

There are numerous altars and a very rich pictorial collection. The whole is brought to perfection by the splendid wooden Pulpit of 1608, considered among the most brilliant works of Apulian art.

Walking through the historic center of Manduria is a true discovery and wonder. There are over forty churches, and each one surprises with its architectural poetry and the synthesis between style and function.

The most interesting are the Church of the Rosary, the one dedicated to San Francesco, then San Cosimo, San Leonardo and the one of the Santo Spirito.

The intricate streets of the historic center wind through the main squares of the city. On Corso XX Settembre is the archaeological museum, while in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II you can admire the bizarre Calvary, the fruit of the genius of Giuseppe Renato Greco.