| At the end of corso Vittorio Emanuele, main road in the new part of the historical urban centre, in the place where the previous church, of 1635, was located, is the Sanctuary of Saints Cosma and Damiano, built with elegant Renaissance shapes by Antonio Curri during the 18th century.
The complex, which, due to the symmetry of its architectonic Renaissance structure reminds of the style of the nearby trulli, dates back to 1609. A rural little church was located in its place, dedicated to Madonna delle Grazie (Virgin Mary of Grace). However only in 1635 the painting of Madonna di Loreto (Vergin Mary of Loreto) with Saints Cosma and Damiano on her sides was positioned on the high altar. Then, from 1636 the solemn religious celebration started to be held.
With the institution of “comune regio”, in 1797, the font and the curate were added. After careful researches in the capital city, in 1803 the remains of the arm of Saint Cosmo and the skull of Saint Damiano were obtained. In 1814 it became a parish church and in 1820 two bells were donated. |