We have very little information about the Church of the Carmine: between 1631 and 1639, the friars entered into a contract with the mason brothers Francesco Paolo and Pietro Paolo Accini for the construction of the chapel of St Mary of Carmel. 1

The church, commonly known as the Carmel, is actually named after St. John the Baptist and St. Anne and is attached to the St. James civil hospital, a former convent of the Discalced Carmelites. From a plaque, located in one of the two side chapels, and somewhat from the style and architecture of the altars, it is assumed that the church was built between the late 1500s and early 1600s.

The structure is rectangular and contains seven altars, all built in white Ostuni stone. Behind the high altar, there is a carved, gilded wooden ornament in late Renaissance style. Of particular importance are four paintings by unknown authors, the two stacks for the holy water and the carved stone baptistery are both from the 15th century. 2

Lined up on the altars of the left wall are three precious canvases. They are, in order, St. Sebastian, the Annunciation, St. John the Baptist. The latter, like St. Sebastian, is surprising for the essentiality of the form that the light brings out of the dark shadow, as in the best manifestations of Neapolitan Caravaggism in Apulia.
The façade took on an agile, supple line after the opening of the central window, which occurred later, as the date, March 1770, marked on the façade itself seems to indicate. 3

Sources:
1. Michele Pirrelli, Between Convents and Monasteries, Religious Houses in Monopoli, Gelsorosso.
2. Francesco Pepe, Monopoli as a unique city, tourist and cultural guide, Zaccaria editions
3. Giacomo Campanelli, Monopoli tourist guide, Schena publisher

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CREDITS: Comune di Monopoli.