Via Cattedrale leads to an evocative Baroque setting overlooked by the Cathedral dedicated to the Madonna della Madia, patron saint of Monopoli, whose icon miraculously landed in the harbour at dawn on 16 December 1117.

The event is commemorated each year with a heartfelt commemoration involving the entire city on the same date and re-enacted in solemn form on 15 August, with illuminations and fireworks.

The original construction, built in 1107 on top of an earlier pre-Romanesque church, was completed ten years later using the raft beams - still preserved today - that brought the precious icon to the city.

Completely rebuilt during the 18th century, the Cathedral, characterised by its monumental façade and soaring bell tower, is today one of the most beautiful Baroque churches in Apulia.

Recently restored, its interior is surprisingly bright, richly decorated with polychrome marbles and some valuable paintings by Giovanni Bernardo Lama and Stefano Buono (16th cent.), Palma il Giovane (17th cent.) and Francesco De Mura (18th cent.), sculptures by Giuseppe Sammartino.

📍Get to Church

CREDITS: Comune di Monopoli.