Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi (Church of San Francesco d'Assisi), Matera

Nestled in Matera’s historic “Piano” area, the Church of San Francesco d'Assisi stands as a luminous example of Baroque grandeur layered atop medieval origins. The church occupies a meaningful position in the city’s urban fabric, framed by a broad trapezoidal staircase and commanding the entrance to both the Sassi district and the civic heart of Matera.

The site's earliest incarnation was an underground, rock-cut church-or chiesetta ipogea-dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. Still accessible today via a trapdoor in one of the lateral chapels, this hypogeum preserves a remarkable fresco depicting Pope Urban II’s visit to Matera in 1093. Tradition holds that Saint Francis himself visited the site in 1218, inspiring the church’s dedication.

Over the centuries, the church evolved. Its original structure dates back to the early 13th century, and was later expanded in the 15th century with the addition of side chapels and a convent. The building reached its present-day form in the 18th century, when architects Vito Valentino and Tommaso Pennetta fashioned its stately Baroque façade.

The façade displays three statues above its entrance: the Immaculate Virgin in the center, flanked by Saint Francis and Saint Anthony of Padua, all set within lavish Baroque scrolls. Inside, a single nave with a flat painted ceiling hosts side chapels, ending in a square apse with a ribbed cross-vault. Behind the high altar stands a wooden choir screen enriched with panels from a 15th-century tempera polyptych-attributed to Lazzaro Bastiani-over which rises a two-manual, 22‑stop pipe organ crafted by the Fratelli Ruffatti (1955; electrified and modified in 1978).

With its compelling blend of medieval roots and Baroque elegance, the Church of San Francesco d'Assisi invites visitors into a layered narrative-one that connects the rocky past beneath, the storied milestones of faith above, and the vibrant life of Matera's old quarter surrounding it.