The cave church of Santa Maria della Grotta

The ancient rock-hewn church dedicated to Santa Maria della Grotta is the hidden heart of the current mother church of Grottaglie, a 15th-century building devoted to the Madonna del Carmine.

From the church you access the cave through an iron staircase which leads into a hall divided into two chambers by rock-hewn columns. The first chamber accommodates an altar surmounted by small Solomonic columns carved out of rock, while above it there’s a niche that accommodates the effigy of the Virgin Mary, today part of the upper church.

Next to the altar one can admire the frescoes depicting Santa Caternia Martire and Santa Apollonia Martire. The second chamber features a staircase, which was added later in order to allow the access to the cave also from the outside.