Putignano - Puglia - Italy - Church of the Madonna del Carmine

Organo a canne della chiesa della Madonna del Carmine in Putignano

The choir and pipe organ of the church of the Madonna del Carmine

Located behind the main altar we find the choir, immediately above the choir itself dominates the pipe organ, an authentic work of art, dating back to 1776. Both the choir and the wooden part of the organ have decorations with floral motifs in Venetian style.

Some historical studies have feared the hypothesis that in past times the organ was visible from the central nave and constituted the scenographic part at the end of the cult environments, as the current high altar was not present, which instead was implanted later by moving it from some other church. This historical hypothesis is also supported by the features of the same, of a more coarse nature than the whole context.

Altare maggiore della chiesa della Madonna del Carnine

The main altar of the Carmine church

The main altar dominates the entire central nave and the presbytery and is characterized by decorations in carved and polychrome stone. In the central part stands the frontal with the coat of arms of the Carmelite Fathers and the crumpled corner shelves that support the table.

At the center of the altar setting is the Tabernacle supported by four twisted columns crowned with entablatures with the upper part expressing the Eternal through a relief between two Angels. This last representation is probably the work of the school of Stefano da Putignano. On the sides of the Tabernacle we find the two Saints of the Carmelite order Sant’Alberto and Sant’Angelo. In the middle of the altar you can see the picture of the venerated Virgin of Carmel.

Note in this altar the distinctive character of the Lecce Baroque which treated stone like wood. This structural identity is also found in Conversano in the church of Santa Maria dell’Isola and in other churches of Polignano a Mare and Noci.

Navata centralle della chiesa del Carmine in Putignano

The interior of the Church of the Madonna del Carmine

The interior of the structure is harmonious and aesthetically elegant. The latter is emphasized by the decorative stuccoes and frames that recall Arabesque-style motifs.

Set between the stuccoes of the sails of the vault, there are four ovals with figures depicting Carmelite saints. While at the top of the arches of the median side chapels are depicted in two scenes from the Old Testament, "Judith killing Holofernes" and "Jael planting the peg in the head of Sisara", typically eighteenth-century representations.

A total of six chapels overlook the central nave, three on each side. In specific order on the left side we meet the chapel dedicated to San Giuseppe, in which stands a canvas, the work of the painter Carelli, which depicts the passage of the saint, followed by the chapel dedicated to the Archangel San Michele to close with the chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

On the right side, however, we first meet the chapel dedicated to Saint Lucia, depicted in the main canvas by Carlo Porta. In the same chapel there are two further round-shaped paintings, depicting the Ecstasy of Santa Teresa on the left and the Martyrdom of San Sebastian on the right.

Going further on the right side we meet the chapel of San Francesco da Paola and at the end that of Santa Teresa d’Avila, in which the same saint was depicted by its author Vincenzo Fato from Castellano while presenting the Rules of the SS. Trinity. Fate himself is the author of the two works in round format in the chapel depicting Sant’Andrea di Avellino on the left and Santa Rosalia on the right.

The front facade of the church of the Madonna del Carmine

The façade of the main entrance to the church, overlooking Corso Umberto I, has a monocuspid structure, with a rusticated rustic stone finish, with corner pillars. The portal has an architrave with a shaped jamb always in typical stone crowned by friezes and frames and supported by side brackets. The churchyard is large and paved in chianche typical of the area.

The façade of the church joins well in a single and uniform body with the façade of the city building, on which a row of windows opens, two of which have artistic / architectural uniqueness of rare beauty. The positioning of the church is strategic since it is close to the access to the historic center from via Garibaldi, located in front of the municipal theater.

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