Duomo di Lecce

Duomo Salento, Italy

Particularly suggestive in the evening, the Piazza del Duomo opens with a magnificent glance onto a vast visual space including the bell tower, the cathedral itself and the archiepiscopal seat.

The Cathedral of Lecce is a cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta. It was built for the first time in the 12th century but was completely renovated in the 17th century, also adapting it to the dominant Baroque style. The main façade contains the statues of San Giusto and San Fortunato in the niches, dominated above by the statue of Sant'Oronzo surrounded by other saints. The side entrance has a peculiarity in the bronze door, inside which the Sun and the Moon are set, affixed only in the Jubilee of the Year 2000 to symbolize the passage of time and life. The beautiful bell tower was built at the end of the seventeenth century to replace the previous Norman bell tower, which collapsed in ruin. The interior of the Cathedral has three naves with numerous Baroque altars and paintings, although the sunlight does not filter disruptively, leaving everything in semi-darkness.