Chiesa dei Santi Pietro e Paolo (Saint Peter and Saint Paul Church), Matera

Saint Pietro Caveoso isn鈥檛 shy about making an entrance. Balanced at the edge of the Gravina ravine, this 13th-century church began as a medieval outpost of devotion for the Sasso Caveoso quarter, only to be refashioned in the 17th and 18th centuries with a Baroque fa莽ade and twin towers that gave it a more stage presence. Those layers remain visible: a medieval skeleton dressed up with later ornament, reflecting how Matera itself has always balanced tradition with reinvention.

The front of the church is a stone storybook. Three portals are topped with statues鈥擮ur Lady of Mercy in the center, Peter and Paul flanking her鈥攚hile a rose window of sixteen rays spins above, its details held up by crouching lions and framed with saints. To one side, the 170-foot bell tower, all Gothic arches and a tiered spire, punctuates the skyline like a watchtower over the ravine.

Step inside and the tone changes. The plan follows a Latin cross with three naves divided by arcades, but what fills that space is a conversation between eras. There鈥檚 the sobriety of a 13th-century baptismal font, the flourish of an 18th-century altar with a painted altarpiece, frescoes tracing biblical stories, and wooden choir stalls worn smooth by centuries of use. Ceiling paintings by local artists and chapels dressed with carved stone keep the rhythm shifting between restraint and exuberance.

Then there鈥檚 the setting. Standing on its steps, you鈥檙e suspended between the church and the landscape, looking out over the Gravina gorge to the Murgia plateau, where rock-cut chapels dot the cliffs. It鈥檚 part sanctuary, part lookout, and entirely a reminder of how Matera鈥檚 faith and terrain have always been entwined.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Chiesa dei Santi Pietro e Paolo (Saint Peter and Saint Paul Church)
Sight Location: Matera, Italy (See walking tours in Matera)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Matera Introduction Walking Tour

Walking Tours in Matera, Italy

Create Your Own Walk in Matera

Creating your own self-guided walk in Matera is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Matera's Ancient Cave Churches

Within the old city of Matera, there are more than 160 churches. Many of these are actually carved into the soft limestone cliffs lining the Gravina River. There are even some used for pagan rituals. The churches were carved from existing caves and tunnels. More than a few sanctified cave churches have been converted to storage and homes.

A good example to start with is the St. Anthony... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.7 Km or 1.1 Miles

Matera Introduction Walking Tour

Architectural historian Anne Parmly Toxey said the cave areas of Matera had been occupied for at least 3,000 years. Archaeological research shows people lived here since the Paleolithic era, shaping homes and communal spaces directly into the soft limestone. Over centuries, those modest caves expanded into an intricate neighborhood鈥攕tone dwellings, churches, and twisting passageways stacked upon... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.4 Km or 1.5 Miles

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