Church of Carmine

This church of Carmine was probably built in the second half of 1500 over the remainings of an old building dedicated to St. Maria della Misericordia. It is, certainly, one of the most famous churches of the city of the two seas.

It has been restored many times and adjusted according to the artistic tendencies of that time. Currently, it is decorated in a particular neoclassical style probably dated back to the first triennium of the 20^th century.

The main façade stands out for the severe lines, softened by figurative capitals and empty niches placed in couples or overlapped.

Along the trabeation it’s possible to read the dedication to the Madonna of Carmine whereas on top of it, there is a majestic quadrangular aedicula which has, in its center, the coat of arms of the Archbishop Ferdinando Bernardi (1935-1962).

The façade facing Piazza della Vittoria is decorated with a row of four circular windows, a balcony for the blessings and an unusual bell tower embellished with angelic statues. A further unique element, extremely difficult to find elsewhere, is the presence of a row of business premises at ground level, which all face on Via D’Acquino.

The inside presents a Latin cross plan with a small dome on top of the two arms, which has only one nave along which we can see two small lateral chapels and the niches that keep the simulacrum of the Misteri procession of the Good Friday.

On the inside of a small chapel, on the right side, there is a fragment of column on which, according to the tradition of San Pietro, this latest would have celebrated a sort of Eucharist during his staying in Taranto. This was also attested by an epigraph (wanted by Archbishop Caracciolo) positioned on the niche, together with an icon representing the Saint.

This precious but also controversial relic was originally kept inside the Church of San Pietro della Porta, demolished in 1577 in order to expand the area that, later on, became the Navigation Channel.

In the transept there are several valuable paintings, such as the “Maddalena dei Pazzi” by Paolo de Matteis.

Among all of the statues in this church, the only ones that can be actually venerated by the faithful are ones representing the Madonna Addolorata and Gesù Morto, both of the Napolitean School (1700) and donated by the rich Calò family to the Brotherhood of Carmine in order for it to perpetuate the tradition of the Procession that they imported in Taranto.

The rich and precious group of statues used during the Procession is enriched by the stunning Cristo all’Orto by Sacquegna, and by three statues (Ecce Homo, Cristo alla Colonna and La Cascata) by Giuseppe Manzo (1849-1942), also described as the “Michelangelo of papier-mache”. The statues were delivered directly by the artist in 1901.