| The church, dedicated in the past at Santa Maria del Carmine, was founded between XVI and XVII century, commissioned by the Marchesa D. Maria and her husband D. Paladini Emilio Guarino, as can be seen from the crest of the family that still exists on the front door of the convent. It was the seat of the Carmelite Fathers to the middle of 1600. Only in 1716 the church and convent were granted to the Capuchin Fathers. After various vicissitudes, in 1861 the monastery was suppressed and turned into a prison and later in hospital. In 1906 the monastery was the Congregation of Charity in 1919 to become permanently owned by the Capuchin Fathers. The church of St. Francis of Assisi consists of a nave and a left side. The cover is of the type once "Lecce" with transverse arches to all sixth. The main facade is characterized by a portal in local stone, complete with a statue of the Madonna and Child, surmounted by a large window. The inserts in local stone, the spirals contribute to enriching the opposite side of the church, while the interior is governed by a regularly inspired by the simplicity of the monastic order. Adjacent to the church is the convent of the Capuchin Fathers, which is distributed on two floors around a central cloister. |