Church of St. Pasquale Babylon

Consecrated in 1794 after several hardships that led to the blockade and slowdown of the works several times, the Church of St. Pasquale Baylon is one of the Christian places of worship most dear to Taranto.

Originally an example of the late eighteenth-century architecture, the structure appears today, after countless restoration works, as the result of a combination of different styles and decorative elements that are not always in harmony with each other.

The current façade, which replaced the original one, is dated to 1937 and was designed by Cesare Bazzani, an important Roman architect of the fascist era and designer of many other valuable Tarantine architectures.

The interiors are characterized by a Latin cross plan with three naves along which there are some decorated altars and two votive chapels. The one on the left side is dedicated to Sant’ Egidio da Taranto, whereas the one on the right side to the Madonna del Pozzo di Capurso.

The canvas placed on the High Altar depicts the Ecstasy of St. Pasquale Baylon and is by Domenico Carella, author, moreover, of several other valuable works preserved inside this sacred place.

The structure is enriched by a great quality of valuable pieces of art, specifically the ones of the Neapolitan School, among which we cannot fail to mention the Deposition of Olivieri (1689-1752), Il Redentore by Francesco Fracanzano (1612-1656) and a Saint Benedict by Luca Giordano (1634-1705).

Attached to the church, inside the rooms once used for the sacristy, there is the “Pinacoteca Museo Sant’Egidio” which collects important paintings (especially from the Neapolitan school of the eighteenth century) and other sacred objects.