WITH THE FREE PATRONAGE OF
CARNEVALE DI PUTIGNANO
CHURCH OF SAN PIETRO APOSTOLO
Putignano a history you don't expect
The North Facade
The north facade of the Church shows evident signs of recovery and additions to several steps. The attentive eye, in fact, can read the complex historical events of the structure that are highlighted in the various openings, now walled up, and in the different color and way of working and arranging the ashlars as well as in the signs of joining the masonry. This has led to suppose a different orientation of the Church in the most ancient times.
In the basement, starting from the façade, from a height of about one meter, decreasing, a rough masonry made of differently squared ashlars can be seen, evident and evocative remnant of the ancient original Temple.
On the masonry that rises on this base, similar to that of the part of the facade incorporating the portal, a small walled door from the second half of the 12th or 13th century stands out, with a pure Gothic line, typical of a castle rather than a church. Another larger one, of Renaissance style, closed with a wooden door, opens at the height of the altar of St. Peter: a secondary lightening exit at the end of the very crowded functions of the past, or on the occasion of processional rites , especially of the holy week.
Before this door we can glimpse, blackened by time, a very elegant spiral decoration engraved on a non-monolithic architrave, indicating a large very ancient opening also walled up, which could have been the hypothesized main door of the medieval era located on the longer side.
The outer wall of the second order, in which four rectangular windows open. In addition to the two rectangular windows and another of baroque form, an elegant window with jambs and a hint of a capital and rounded archivolt stands out in correspondence with the Choir and the Oratory. This, located halfway up, is walled up and suggests a single pre-existing room then divided and organized into the two superimposed sacred rooms.
A careful reading of all these architectural elements combined or added over time leads us to identify, as previously mentioned, parts from different periods and dating back to the primitive construction of which there is no certain information, to the renovations carried out when the Church was consecrated. in the twelfth century, to the reconstruction of Carafa in the second half of the fifteenth century. and the substantial additions and renovations of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
In the basement, starting from the façade, from a height of about one meter, decreasing, a rough masonry made of differently squared ashlars can be seen, evident and evocative remnant of the ancient original Temple.
On the masonry that rises on this base, similar to that of the part of the facade incorporating the portal, a small walled door from the second half of the 12th or 13th century stands out, with a pure Gothic line, typical of a castle rather than a church. Another larger one, of Renaissance style, closed with a wooden door, opens at the height of the altar of St. Peter: a secondary lightening exit at the end of the very crowded functions of the past, or on the occasion of processional rites , especially of the holy week.
Before this door we can glimpse, blackened by time, a very elegant spiral decoration engraved on a non-monolithic architrave, indicating a large very ancient opening also walled up, which could have been the hypothesized main door of the medieval era located on the longer side.
The outer wall of the second order, in which four rectangular windows open. In addition to the two rectangular windows and another of baroque form, an elegant window with jambs and a hint of a capital and rounded archivolt stands out in correspondence with the Choir and the Oratory. This, located halfway up, is walled up and suggests a single pre-existing room then divided and organized into the two superimposed sacred rooms.
A careful reading of all these architectural elements combined or added over time leads us to identify, as previously mentioned, parts from different periods and dating back to the primitive construction of which there is no certain information, to the renovations carried out when the Church was consecrated. in the twelfth century, to the reconstruction of Carafa in the second half of the fifteenth century. and the substantial additions and renovations of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
This website project born from the idea of Gianni Musaio is enclosed in a team spirit and is the result of the collaboration of people, ordinary citizens, who care about the historical, cultural, artistic, geographical, food and wine heritage of the historic center of Putignano, a town in to live.
The historic center of a town is the fulcrum of the territory, where ancient stories, traditions and culture of those who preceded us are preserved. You too can contribute to leaving the testimonies of the past to the generations to come, taking care of them.