| Among the numerous religious orders in Martina, in the 17th century there was also the order of the Minims, commonly known as paolotti in Italian, who at first settled in the old chapel of Santa Maria della Misericordia, where today there is the vestry of the church of Carmine. As it was too close to the town walls, the friars preferred to move to an old, Byzantine chapel dedicated to Santa Maria of Costantinopoli, dating back to the 16th century. In 1608 the pre-existing chapel was knocked down in order to found a new church and a convent. However, the friars wanted to keep the cult of the Madonna of Costantinopoli, as it is witnessed by the Baroque altar preserved inside the church. The friars succeeded in this thanks to the people’s alms, and a substantial donation by Gianbattista De Leonardis. The church was completed in 1618 and the convent in 1668, further to several alterations. At the end of the works, a solemn celebration was held, and it was then that the Università (town administration) appointed San Francesco di Paola as the town’s secondary saint protector. The façade is very plain; there are three entrances, the central one has a beautiful portal, with two small, twisted columns mounted on two rectangular bases. The portal spandrel frames the coat of arms. A simple floral decoration, of pre-Baroque imprint, envelops the portal, very similar to the one of Palazzo Marino Motolese. The upper part of the façade is crowned by a sort of serrated cornice, characterized by an alternation of natural elements such as acanthus leaves, flowers and spiral leaves. The façade is also embellished by three octagonal shaped roses. High up on the façade, a small cornice with two side spirals stands out; in the middle a cross soars, and four geometrical torches are placed at the end.
The convent was suppressed during the Napoleonic era, and many works of art kept in its interior passed on to the Dominican convent, like the canvas of the venerable father Bonaventura Gaona, a Minims' friar of Martina who died in the concept of sanctity. Only in the Thirties of the 20th century the structure was turned into a seminary, up until ten years ago. In the cloister are also preserved the frescos about the life of San Francesco. |