| Otranto is home to one of the most representative buildings of Byzantine worship in Southern Italy: the church of San Pietro (Saint Peter), which was built in the 11th/12th century. Just by looking at the outside it is easy to guess how the building is divided up inside, it was built in the shape of a Greek cross inside a square. In the centre there is a circular dome, while on the East side you can clearly see the outline of the three apses. Inside you are immediately struck by the pictures which cover most of the walls. The quality of the pictures is particularly impressive, which, starting from the oldest which dates back to the origins of the church, show biblical scenes and the life of Christ. In the midst of this pictorial wealth there are two real gems in terms of Byzantine art in Italy, these are the scenes of The Last Supper and The Washing of Feet, painted on the barrel vault of the left bay. Some fragments of pictures of the Old and New Testament belong to a later period as does a beautiful Kufic inscription in white letters on a bright blue background which runs round the apsidal arch. According to the latest theories, the group of frescoes dating to the 13th century may have been painted by Paolo of Otranto, a painter who had worked in Constantinople. |