Mother Church of Santi Pietro e Paolo, Montescaglioso

History

Nothing remains of the medieval church: the present building was rebuilt starting in 1776. During the works, the parish moved to the nearby church of Sant’Agostino, where it remained until 1823.

What to see

• The four paintings attributed to Mattia Preti in the side aisles: the Wedding at Cana, the Supper in the House of Levi, the Adoration of the Magi and the Nativity, bought in Naples and donated to the church at the beginning of the 19th century by the Marquis Ferdinando Cattaneo.
• The Baroque high altar, with the marble balustrade donated by the Chapter of Siena during the Napoleonic era, and the side altars in polychrome marble.
• The dome, with stucco high reliefs of the four Evangelists.
• The works by Giovanni Donadio, a painter of the Venetian school, and a small 15th-century Madonna and Child kept in the sacristy.
• The organ from the late 18th century, which comes from the Benedictine convent, and the baptismal font from the abbey of San Michele Arcangelo.

Useful information

• It is an active place of worship: visit quietly and outside of services.
• The church has three naves. It is also worth looking at the holy water stoups in inlaid marble and the painted wooden choir loft bearing the city’s coat of arms.