Cathedral of Lecce

The church of Sant'Irene dei Teatini was built from 1591 on a project by the Francesco Grimaldi Theatre (1543-1613) and was completed in 1639. The Baroque building is reminiscent of the model of the Basilica of Sant'Andrea della Valle in Rome, where the architect Grimaldi himself worked.

The Basilica of Santa Croce is a marvel of Lecce's Baroque architecture, a form of Baroque that was influenced by Spanish Plateresque architecture. The first phase of construction, which began in 1549, was completed in 1582 and saw the construction of the lower part of the façade, up to the balcony. The dome was completed in 1590 and a second phase of work, begun in 1606, saw the construction of three more decorated portals, the construction of the upper part of the façade and the rose window.

The basilica of Maria Santissima Assunta Cathedral is the cathedral church of Nardò. The cathedral probably stands on the site where the ancient church of Sancta Maria of Neritorio was founded by oriental monks who escaped iconoclastic persecution in the 7th century. Consolidation work was carried out in the first half of the 15th century, probably after the earthquake of 1456, and until 1725, when the façade was rebuilt by the architect Ferdinando Sanfelice. The present appearance of the building is due to the restoration work carried out between 1892 and 1899, which restored the church to its more classical appearance.