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St Mary of the Star rock church
On the outskirts of Monopoli along the road to Alberobello, on a private property and in a rural context rich in cultivation, stands the rupestrian church of Santa Maria della Stella, a rock-hewn church with a single rectangular room, divided in half by a pillar and provided with an apse. The church has undergone alterations over time, so there are altars, in addition to the central one, that are not coeval but more recent than the period of the church's medieval occupation.
No frescoes are preserved from the Middle Ages, while a fresco with the image of a Madonna and Child protected in a glass case is located on the central altar. In fact, the style of the fresco certainly suggests that it is a late composition compared to other medieval cave paintings scattered throughout the area.
You enter the church from the left side where there is a small portal surmounted by a lunette; a space in front of the entrance welcomes the faithful during the Marian feasts, a period when the temple is very busy.
In the distance, before arriving, the beautiful bell gable, which ends with a fine stone cross, is visible.
The church is open every Saturday of the year, and in May also on Thursdays.
CREDITS: Comune di Monopoli.