| The crypt of the Holy Cross (La cripta del Crocifisso) is in the countryside outside Ugento on the old road known as the Via Sallentina, near a Late Ancient and High Medieval cave settlement where some tombs are still visible. Access to the crypt is through the small chapel built on top of it. The entrance is a 16th century archway, inside this you can see a fresco of a small moon which surmounted the original entrance. Entering the crypt visitors are struck by the beautiful ceiling which was frescoed during the Medieval period with portrayals of imaginary animals, stars and shields with crosses on them. The frescoes on the walls have been well preserved. Starting from the right hand side you can see a depiction of the Annunciation, with the Virgin holding a rod and a shell, whereas, to her right, the Archangel seems to be leaning out from some kind of building or wall. On the altar there is a Crucifixion - Christ between the two thieves, with the sun and the moon above them. This is followed by Saint Nicholas and Christ Pantocreator with a scroll in his hand in the act of making the sign of the cross (Greek benediction). The cycle of frescoes ends with a Virgin and Child which is thought to date back to the 14th or 15th century. There is another fresco of the Virgin on the right hand wall which can be dated as 16th century. |