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Centopietre
City
of Patù
It is the smallest village in Lecce.It was founded
during IX century, when the Salento was invaded
by the Saracen people.It was a time of great suffering
for local people: the name itself of the village
refers to that suffering as it comes from the
Greek word "pathos", meaning "tension",
"pain". |
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(Centopietre)
City of Patù, 20 mt |
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Le Centopietre
Originally it was a sepulchral monument
(heroon), made up of one hundred big square
blocks of stone (hence its name) coming
from the ruins of the ancient city of Vereto;
the monument was built to bury General Geminiano's
relics,which were afterwards moved to his
native country, France.
The small temple is quadrangular and measures
7,20 x 5,50 mt and it is 2,60 mt tall in
its highest point.It has a two-pitch roof.On
the wall opposite the main entrance you
can see a fresco portraying thirteen Saints
of Eastern origins,standing in frontal position.
That is a proof that during the Middle Ages
the small temple was changed into an early
Christian Church.
In 1873 Centopietre was classified as "Second-class
National Monument". |
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The Church of S. John The Baptist
It is just opposite the Centopietre monument.
It was built in order to remind the bloody
battle in the year 877 between Christian
people and Moor people, where General Geminiano
died.The church is in Romanesque-Apulian
style: its facade has a wide rose window;
it is a church with nave and two aisles;
inside the church you can see Byzantine
frescoes. |
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