| The church of sant’Anna is located on the hill North-East of the town centre of Ceglie; since the 12th century, it has been one of the main places of worship of the town, and not only. During the years of the plague, the church was the locals’ farm shelter, and the underground spaces were used as a cemetery for those who died from the plague; it is recounted that the bodies were thrown in the tanks through a pipe placed under the high altar. The little church, preceded by a small garden, presents a very simple elevation; down below in the centre, there is an entrance portal surmounted by a lunette, where there is the 1710 epigraph. The façade ends by following the trend of the vault, in a geometrical way, with a stone Crucifix on the top. The interior of the church has a single, ogival barrel vaulted nave, stuccoed with fake marmorations, which divide it into sixteen rectangles; in each one of them an oval is drawn, decorated with vegetal motifs. On the counter-façade there is a 14th century fresco depicting La Morte di sant’Anna, whereas up above the window divides two ovals depicting San Pietro in the left one, and San Paolo in the right one; on top there is a Madonna con Bambino, decorated with floral motifs. The whole internal perimeter, up until about two metres in height, is decorated with fake pilasters and arches, which are alternated by brightly coloured marbled panels. From the spring of the arches up to the impost of the vault, there is a more sombre decoration, alternated with ovals which depict respectively San Tommaso, San Giacomo, Educazione della Vergine Immacolata, Sant’Antonio da Padova. The lateral walls are characterized by three blind arches per side; the first one on the left holds a fresco of the Annunciazione, the second one a central door framed by a marmoration, the third one a fresco with the Holy Mary and baby Jesus, San Paolo and Santa Irene. At the bottom on the right, there is the inscription “S. Irene V.M.”. In the centre there is the Baroque high altar, dating back to the 18th century; it is realized with painted stone, with the 18th century, papier-mâché statue of Sant’Anna in the middle. Up above in the centre there is a canvass depicting the Annunciazione, which almost seems to end the altar. The wall ends upwards with a faded fresco, which could possibly be an Adorazione della Madonna col Bambino. Up until a few years ago, there were two canvasses, of which one was ascribed to the artist from Francavilla V. N. Galeano, depicting the Holy Mary on the throne with the infant, between the saints Cosma and Damiano and Antonio da Padova; it was originally placed in the first arch on the left, and it is now stored in the vestry of the church of San Rocco, together with the canvass of the Sacra Famiglia, by an unknown author. It has emerged from some pastoral visits that there used to be also other canvasses portraying the Vergine di Pompei, s. Giuseppe, s. Rocco, s. Antonio, and the Madonna della Stella; however, all of their traces have been lost. |