| Church, ruined church, chapel, temple,Cemetery, crypt, funerary monument |
| The Benedictine monastery of Saints Niccolò and Cataldo in Lecce was built in 1180 by the will of Count Tancred. The church at the heart of the complex was also originally intended to house the tomb of the future Norman King. Today it stands next to the cemetery, outside the city walls near a stretch of the Via Traiana leading to Brindisi. In the modern period the façade was restored with the addition of baroque forms, and the cloisters, entrusted to the Olivetan order, took on their current monumental character.
Inside the building the cultural stratification achieves a harmony seen only in Sicilian monuments from that period. Volumetric and structural characteristics of French origin – such as the “hall church” style with three naves of equal dimensions exemplified by the cathedral in Poitiers – combine seamlessly with a layout that recalls the crusader architecture of the Holy Land, as in the cathedrals of Beirut and Tartus. Also of eastern inspiration are the Islamic motifs of the hemispherical cupola on the transept and the two portals, where the deep carvings recall decorative models typical of ivory and plaster. These artistic choices reflect the preferences and military experiences of the building's Norman patron, who had fought in the crusades.
|