Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista (Church of Saint Giovanni Battista), Matera

The Church of Saint Giovanni Battista is one of Matera鈥檚 most distinctive medieval survivors, its story reaching back to the early 13th century. In 1215, nuns of the Order of Saint Mary of Acre arrived from the Middle East and took over a modest chapel called Saint Maria la Nova. Soon after, in 1229, they began building something larger, completed in 1236. First dedicated to the Our Lady of Virtues, it later passed to the Benedictine nuns and took on its current title, honoring Saint John the Baptist.

Its location, just beyond Matera鈥檚 walls, proved risky. When the Ottomans advanced into southern Italy in 1480, the nuns abandoned it rather than risk exposure outside the fortifications. The church sat unused for over two centuries until 1695, when the archbishop reassigned the parish here. Later centuries added layers of change鈥攁n 18th-century sacristy, a Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, and modifications that reshaped the transept domes into vaults.

Architecturally, Saint Giovanni Battista straddles Romanesque and Gothic. The Latin cross plan brings a nave with unusual Lecce vaults, three apses framed by sculpted arches, and side chapels that soften its austere form. The fa莽ade, simple yet commanding, is marked by a rose window and a statue of John the Baptist above the entrance. Inside, carved capitals decorated with plants and symbolic figures showcase the craft of 13th-century stonemasons. Frescoes of Saint Maria la Nova and sculptures anchor its artistic legacy.

A rare free-standing medieval church in a city famed for rock-hewed sanctuaries, Saint Giovanni Battista remains a reminder of Matera鈥檚 shifting fortunes鈥攁bandonment, renewal, and enduring presence.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Matera. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "黑料吃瓜网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista (Church of Saint Giovanni Battista)
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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