Crypt of Original Sin

The Cripta del Peccato Originale (Crypt of the Original Sin) is known as the “Sistine Chapel of rock painting”. It is a cave church carved into the wall of the Picciano gravina (a deep ravine) in contrada Pietrapenta, in the countryside around Matera, and it houses one of the most important cycles of early medieval frescoes in southern Italy.

History

The crypt was the place of worship of a small rock-cut monastery, probably Benedictine, from the Lombard period. The frescoes date from the 8th and 9th centuries and are the work of a single artist, whom scholars call the Painter of the Flowers of Matera after the large red flowers that decorate the walls.

For centuries the cave was used as a shelter for sheep. It was already mentioned in the notes of Domenico Ridola as the “cave of the Hundred Saints”, but it was rediscovered on 1 May 1963 by young members of the La Scaletta cultural group, led by a shepherd. After a long restoration, it was opened to the public.

What to see

• The Genesis, on the back wall: the Creation of light and darkness, the creation of Eve and the Original Sin, with Adam and Eve beside the tree.
• The three “triarchies” (groups of three saints) in the niches of the left wall: the Apostles Peter, Andrew and John; the Virgin Queens with the Madonna and Child; the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.
• The red flowers and the Latin inscriptions that complete the cycle.
• The landscape of the gravina, wild and silent, surrounding the crypt.

How to get there

• By car: the crypt is outside the city, in contrada Pietrapenta, about 25 minutes’ drive from the centre of Matera, with a final stretch on a country road. The ticket office is at the F.lli Dragone farm, from where you walk down to the crypt.
• There is no direct public transport: without a car, an organised tour is the best option.

Useful information

• Visits are possible only by reservation, through the official website or by phone.
• You must check in at the ticket office half an hour before your booked time, with your receipt or booking number.
• The visit lasts about 30 minutes, with a recorded audio guide. Groups range from 2 to 20 people, and children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
• To protect the frescoes, access is limited.