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Culture

Top Rated Attractions in Lecce

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Pinacoteca Francescana

The library and art gallery were instituted in 1963. The first holds 400,000 books and the second a hundred or so 17th and 18th-century paintings from Franciscan monasteries in Salento. The paintings are mainly religious in subject matter such as the Circumcision of Jesus by Fra Ludovico da Gioia, or the Holy Family by D. Bianco. They are intensely emotional pictures thanks to the use of dark coloring and heavy shadows typical of Baroque art. Guided visits are available. There are also a historical and photographic archive, a library and a study room. Admission is free.

Convitto Palmieri

This building is more important for its role in Lecce education than for its architecture. The Royal College of St. Joseph run by the Jesuits was housed here from 1816. It was a busy cultural institution that annexed the Lyceum and various faculties of the university in 1852. When the Bourbon kingdom fell, it returned to being a school and was named after the economist, Giuseppe Palmieri. A gallery containing 18th c. art is housed in the building containing shell mosaic pictures and paintings. The rooms of the sacresty and the deconsecrated Church of St. Francis of Assisi stand next to the Oratory.

Duomo

A visitor entering the square from Corso Vittorio Emanuele is surprised at the apparition of the magnificent white facade of the Duomo. Similar to an arch of triumph in structure, it is decorated with a majestic statue of the city's patron saint, Sant'Oronzo, and by the superb portal with statues of the other two patron saints, San Giusto and San Fortunato. What is unusual is that the façade described is at the side of the cathedral, while the main facade is on the internal side of the square which is not immediately visible and less detailed. This was deliberately designed by Giuseppe Zimbalo in accordance with Baroque standards. It was first built before 1144, then rebuilt in 1230 and renovated between 1659-1670. It is based on a Latin cross and has a wooden ceiling decorated with gold and several painted canvases. There are four large pointed arches in the center of the cross where the transept is. Some of the most important examples of Salentino art are to be seen here such as the magnificent Baroque marble altars and the lovely 16th-century crypt.

Teatro Romano

This dates back to the time of Augustus, and was discovered in 1929: it has a cavea (19 meters in diameter [62.3 feet]), divided into six sections with tiers of seating radiating from the center. The orchestra, where the choir was placed, has stone slabs and is separated from the cavea by a parapet. The orchestra is separated from the 'stage' by a canal and has structures which helped to hold the wooden scaffolding in place. Statues dating back to the time of Antony have also been discovered inside the theater.

Chiesa del Gesù

Also known as the church of the Buon Consiglio (Good Advice), it was built in 1574 and is an example of the combination of Lecce Baroque and Catholic Counter-Reformation. The facade has two orders, the first features empty niches followed by pilasters and in between there is the emblem of the Compagnia di Gesù with two angels sculpted out of Lecce stone. On the second order there is a central window, a statue of baby Jesus and the metopes on the frieze represent the Passion of Christ. There are four chapels off the nave with altars decorated in stucco from the 18th Century, one of which is dedicated to the Virgin of Loreto with 18 shrines to saints in Lecce stone. In the transept there is the chapel of the Vergine del buon Consiglio. The main altar is one of the most beautiful and extravagant in the city. It is concave with four spiral columns typical of the Baroque period.

Chiesa di Santa Chiara

This is an interesting example of Lecce Baroque from the late 17th Century even though the church was rebuilt between 1687 and 1691. The unfinished façade is divided in two orders: the projecting part is created by the flight of steps which give access to the richly decorated central doorway. The sides of the first order are slightly sunken making the façade seem like it leans forward. Volutes divide the second order from the first and end in plinths. The church is elegant but minus the pomp and makes good use of chiaroscuro. There are four niches in the lower order and two in the upper. Inside the church you will find one octagonal nave. The deep presbytery is divided into two orders. One has fluted Corinthian pilaster strips, the other Tuscan pilaster strips two windows and statues of saints. There are four sumptuous, gilded altars from the 18th Century, which are the reason the church is one of the most beautiful in Lecce: they're decorated in great detail with spiral columns and human forms. There are also two altars from the 18th Century dedicated to St. Francis and the Virgin Mary designed by Cino who was given the task of rebuilding the church in 1687. The six chapels are flanked by Corinthian pilaster strips. Over the arches above them you can see the grates through which the nuns would listen to mass.

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