The Crypt of Madonna della Consolazione

Carved out of a tuff stone monolith, the crypt lies right at the heart of the town centre. It is accessed through a 15-step staircase. The classical exterior is surmounted by a bell gable, while the interior is divided into three irregular naves by cruciform pillars, featuring roughly-carved capitals. The floor is covered with Lecce stone slabs, and terminates in two apses: the main one facing west, features Baroque decorations which frame a Madonna with Child; the other placed southwards, resembles a niche and is topped by a triptych at whose centre is depicted an enthroned Madonna with Child blessing in the Greek manner.  On the right-hand side of the main entrance is an Annunciation, with the Virgin on the right and the Archangel kneeled on the left.  On the right-hand wall of the Baroque altar, there’s an oval of the Virgin with the haloed Christ Child, which is thought to have been retouched several times.  To the right of the Virgin, stands a saint with a child, while to the left is St. Catherine of Alexandria with the palm and the spiked wheel, the symbol of her martyrdom. On one side, kneeling at the feet of the Virgin, are a man and a women dressed with Renaissance, 16th-century clothing: they have been identified as the baron Giovanni Francesco Santabarbara and his wife Giuditta who bought the fiefdom of San Cassiano in 1591 from Vittoria Doria, holding it until 1602. On the left-hand wall there’s a fresco divided into three panels: at the centre stands an enthroned Christ holding an open book which reads:

It is still unkown why the crypt was named ‘’Madonna della Consolazione’’ (Madonna of Comfort), considering that this name has never been recorded for any other crypt in Salento. It is possible that it was erected during a period of calamity or plague, which is why ‘’della Consolazione’’ could stand for devotion or spiritual assistance.