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Church of St. John

Year of construction Sconosciuta

AddressVico San Giovanni, 19

Coordinates40.63022550000001,16.941176100000007

Church

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Church of St. John “al Muricello”
Vico S. Giovanni, 19

Exterior scene

The Muricello neighbourhood is one of the oldest urban areas of Castellaneta, and it is naturally protected on one side by the ravine, from which it is separated by a low wall (Muricello means small, low wall).

Only in the 19th century the church of St. John took this name, due to an ancient annuity to the saint for the care of the sacred building. The original name was lost and changed first in S. Maria La Pesola, then in S. Maria La Candelora and only recently to the current one.

The church, which gave its name to the alley, has a very simple façade with a triangular pediment and a bell-gable crowned by a stone cross.

Near the church there is a terrace where you can admire the amazing view of the ravine from its highest point.

Interior

The interior consists of a simple rectangular hall with a barrel vault and ogival arches with pediments. At the end of the nave there is a partition wall and a marble-like stuccoed altar.

On the left, a portal in carparo stone decorated with palmettes and mouldings.

A few years ago, the church was restored and some fresco paintings were brought to light on the wall to the right: a Madonna and Child with Saints, a martyr and another saint of whom only the eyes, a hand holding a palm and the lower part of the dress remain. A spur of rock that constituted the original floor of the church was left to explain one of the ancient denominations, as “pesola” in the local dialect means “boulder”.

Madonna with Child, fresco painting with dry finishes. It measures 110 cm for 160 and shows the typical signs of the preparation for another layer of plaster and of dampness damages. We can conclude that the original church was almost entirely decorated by mural paintings, with new images painted on the older, damaged ones. However, the income from the annuity was not sufficient to allow this continual renovation, so it was decided to opt for the whitewashing that still covers almost all the walls.