| Not far out of Vaste town centre, near the necropolis of the old Messapian town, lies the crypt of the two Saint Stephens, one of the best examples of a rock church in Southern Salento. Originally the crypt must have been part of a larger settlement, most of which would have been carved out of the rock.Some of these structures are still visible in the area, for example inside a nearby masseria (fortified farmhouse). On the outside of the building you can see some niches, these were probably originally used as small tombs. The crypt, although small, has a basilican shape. The three entrances correspond to three naves and three apses, separated by two rows of pillars. Inside the crypt there are frescoes which belong to three different pictorial cycles painted at different times. The oldest of these dates to the 11th/12th century and includes the Triptych in the left apse, dated 1093, two archangels, the apostles Philip and Andrew, Saint Pantaleone and Saint George.The second cycle was painted during the 14th century. In particular, the scene from the Apocalypse painted in the central apse belongs to this phase. The third cycle of frescoes dates to the 15th/16th century. The dedication of the church to the Saint Stephens would appear to come from a double portrayal of Saint Stephen both on the second right-hand column and on the second left hand one. Some of the structural alterations which can be seen on the inside of the crypt date back to before the 17th century when the crypt lost its religious function and was turned into a storeroom for agricultural tools and equipment and a place where tobacco leaves were dried. |