The rupestrian church of St Cecilia overlooks the blade that runs through the Botanical Garden. It has a single nave and was originally provided with an iconostasis and a continuous seat in the bema area.

Due to the rich decorative programme along the walls, the rupestrian church is to be considered the most important among those known in the Monopoli area, although the poor condition of the frescoes makes it difficult to read.

The apse depicts Christ Pantocrator seated on a beaded throne between the Virgin and St John the Baptist; on the walls are a series of figures of saints, while in the naos are scenes of the martyrdom of St Stephen and St Lawrence and stories of Mary with the Annunciation, the Visitation to St Elizabeth and the Nativity with the arrival of the Magi.

The church is mentioned in Pope Alexander III's Bull of 1180, listing all the churches in the Diocese of Monopoli.

The church stands in the territory of the 'Lama degli Ulivi' botanical garden; it can be reached from the provincial road Monopoli - Alberobello; 3 km from Monopoli follow the sign 'Christ's rural edge of the clods'.