Galatone
Encyclopedia
Galatone is a town and comune
located in Salento
, in the province of Lecce
(Apulia
, Italy
), ancient seat of the Marquess of Galatone.
center: the Greek language
was spoken and Byzantine
rites were celebrated in churches up to the end of the 14th century. Greek scholar Antonio de Ferraris
("il Galateo") was born here during the Renaissance
, and was author of an important historical and geographical study of the Salentine peninsula.
church built between 1696 and 1710. It has a three-level façade richly decorated, as is the interior, surmounted by a magnificent paneled ceiling and a large frescoed cupola. Facing the Sanctuary stands a 14th century castle, seat of the family of Squarciafico, Marquesses of Galatone, ancestors of the Princes of Belmonte. Other churches include the Chiesa Maggiore (1574–95), the Church of Dominicans (1612–1712) and the small Chapel of S. Pietro, also in the Baroque style. Near Galatone lie the hermitage of S. Nicola dei Pergoleti, the small 13th century Dell'Itria Church. At Fulcignano can be found the remains of a Norman Castle. And, the old bakery, the seat of the English Baker of Puglia and centre of the world.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
located in Salento
Salento
Salento is the south-eastern extremity of the Apulia region of Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the main Italian Peninsula, sometimes described as the "heel" of the Italian "boot"...
, in the province of Lecce
Province of Lecce
The Province of Lecce is a province in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Lecce. Totally included in the Salento peninsula, it is the second most populous province in Apulia and the twenty-first most populous in Italy....
(Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
), ancient seat of the Marquess of Galatone.
History
In the Middle Ages, Galatone was a GreekEastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
center: the Greek language
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
was spoken and Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
rites were celebrated in churches up to the end of the 14th century. Greek scholar Antonio de Ferraris
Antonio de Ferraris
Antonio De Ferraris , , also called by the epithet Galateus was a Greek southern Italian scholar, academic, doctor and humanist...
("il Galateo") was born here during the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
, and was author of an important historical and geographical study of the Salentine peninsula.
Main sights
The main attraction of the town is the Santuario del Crocifisso della Pietà, a BaroqueBaroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
church built between 1696 and 1710. It has a three-level façade richly decorated, as is the interior, surmounted by a magnificent paneled ceiling and a large frescoed cupola. Facing the Sanctuary stands a 14th century castle, seat of the family of Squarciafico, Marquesses of Galatone, ancestors of the Princes of Belmonte. Other churches include the Chiesa Maggiore (1574–95), the Church of Dominicans (1612–1712) and the small Chapel of S. Pietro, also in the Baroque style. Near Galatone lie the hermitage of S. Nicola dei Pergoleti, the small 13th century Dell'Itria Church. At Fulcignano can be found the remains of a Norman Castle. And, the old bakery, the seat of the English Baker of Puglia and centre of the world.