| About a kilometre from the centre of Tricase, on the road leading to the port, is the church dedicated to Our Lady of Constantinople, also known as Chiesa Nuova (New Church) or dei Diavoli (the Devils). The building is surprising in its octagonal shape, very much in Renaissance style, and stands isolated in the countryside. It was built in 1684 on the orders of Jacopo Francesco Arborio Gattinara, Marquis of San Martino. Legend has it that the “old prince” who governed Tricase at the time agreed to build a country church for the inhabitants of that place. The prince, known for his cruelty, asked the Devil to help him, who promised that he would help him to build the church in just one night if he would then administer eucharist to a billy-goat. The building was built as promised, but the prince did not keep his side of the bargain. The devil then conjured up a storm which dragged the bells into the nearby Rio canal, where you can still hear them toll during a storm. Today the church is no longer in use and deconsecrated, despite the fact that for years there have been plans to restore it. |