The fulcrum of religious worship, the Presbytery

 

The Presbytery was structurally completed around 1666 "communi aere", with funds of public money, that is, at the time of the mayor Trailo "Patriae Sindicus atque Pater", as stated on the plaque with the University coat of arms, placed at the top , along the staircase on the right that leads to the Cappellone or Oratory.

 

It is an architectural body with an almost cubic shape that is grafted onto the unitary nave intended in all its width, to open, in turn, by means of two superimposed arches, to the new spatiality of the Choir and of the Chapel of the SS. Crucifix.

 

In the fervor of the renovation, the Baroque effect was accentuated with the creation on the walls of frames and bas-reliefs with the application of distinctly decorative and luminous stuccoes. Church on the side walls, embroideries and picturesque angelic figures intertwine, astride a lion, which guards the arch itself; and again in the decorative vortex of the open cartouche with wavy edges that bind to the archivolt, the rear facade of the presbytery concludes at the top. This, the first true advanced phase, is enclosed by an artistic balustrade of precious polychrome marbles inlaid with the refined shaping of the wavy frame with relative wrought iron gate, graceful by a game of scrolls, which unfold and join elegantly, and from two massive balustrades arranged in a dynamically ascending line, which, on both sides, delimiting the two stairs, offer a comfortable view on the occasion of the once very crowded sacred functions.

 

The main altar is imposing with a polychrome marble structure, enriched by inlays, elegant carvings and refined sculptural elements. It is embellished by the variegated and imaginative combination of blue inlays streaked with white, red and antique yellow. To make the work even more important are the sculptural elements, consisting of the heads of winged cherubs, as well as the lively representation of a white dove on the facade of the tabernacle.

The frontal, surmounted by a finely rendered rolled drape, with graceful angels in the round, facing inwards, is clearly evident in the act of supporting the central medallion, preciously framed by an inscribed cross.

 

The work dates back to 1751 and is, as reported by Casulli, by the excellent Neapolitan master marble worker Giovanni Cimafonte, probably author of the marble balustrade, perspective counterpoint to the altar itself.

 

The altar, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, was consecrated in 1773 with the intervention of the Bishop of Conversano, Msgr. Fabio Palumbo. In 1968, by the will of the archpriest Don Pierino Giotta, the altar was enriched with an artistic silver ciborium, the result of the workshop of the Neapolitan goldsmith Catella. It is a beautiful work finely embossed in the contours adhering to the line of the marble shape, adorned with branches with clusters and ears of wheat and a pelican, on the door, represented with the intent to feed the hungry little ones of his heart, symbolically depicting the SS. Eucharist

 

On the terminals of the altar rest two statues 1.30 meters high, depicting Saint John the Baptist and Saint Stephen protomartyr, one protector and the other patron of Putignano. Del Balì Francone, the second of the University, are of beautiful and artistically valid workmanship and excellently summarize the stylistic canons of the Neapolitan school of the '700.

 

At the rear of the altar there is the first arch that leads into the choir, interspersed with a wooden partition, lacquered and painted with elegant naturalistic elements, and a mosaic stained glass window with the representation of the "Virgin of Sorrows", of the "Baptism of Jesus ", And of the« Delivery of the keys to St. Peter ». The drawing is the work of fellow citizen Francesco Dalena (1930) and follows, for the lateral representations, famous models of Renaissance painting (Verrocchio -Perugino).

 

The stairs leading to the sacred area of ​​the Presbytery widen, unfold in a semicircle perspective and were built together with the first nucleus of the Cappellone delI Santissimo Crocifisso in the early 1600s by a group of local artisans at the end of the 19th century, thanks to the commitment of archpriest Giovanni Mongelli