Cripta Madonna della Favana

The Crypt of the Madonna della Favana in Veglie is named after the disease favism, for which the faithful sought intercession from the Virgin.\n\nThe sacred hypogeum, attached to the cemetery church, dates back to the 9th-11th centuries and was carved into the rock. It features an archaic architectural form of Greek-Oriental origin, with a single nave and a small apse. Access is via a dromos where a staircase with thirteen steps has been built.\n\nIt served a devotional function, as evidenced by the numerous frescoes inside, and was linked to the rural community. However, the saints depicted inside testify to the transition from the Greek to the Latin rite. The extensive pictorial cycle includes the Madonna with Child, a nursing Madonna, and various saints of both Eastern and Western origin such as Peter and Paul, Michael the Archangel, Andrew, Stephen, while on the ceiling is a Christ Pantocrator surrounded by four angels symbolizing the evangelists.