Chiesa di San Francesco di Paola (Church of Saint Francis of Paola), Taranto

Built in the open countryside, in an area where there was a much older chapel dedicated to the "Madonna delle Grazie", the Church of San Francesco di Paola was consecrated in 1623 at the behest of Ludovico Montefuscoli, prelate and knight of the Order of Malta. The structure has been remodeled several times over the centuries both in terms of volumes and its aesthetic characteristics, especially following the earthquake of 1743. The result of a much more recent restoration dating back to 1956, it is the new main façade which is characterized, despite the classic sobriety of the lines, by a certain search for monumentalism. Access to the internal space is preceded by an unusual elliptical narthex (vestibule) protected from the street by heavy gates. The internal sacred space, in the shape of a Latin cross, is divided into three naves along which some side chapels open. The small liturgical rooms preserve furnishings and ornaments from various eras which well illustrate the change in fashions and artistic trends. Certainly noteworthy are the chapel dedicated to San Giuseppe and above all that to San Giovanni Gualberto embellished with the splendid baroque altar built in 1676. The stone statue of the "Madonna delle Grazie" is valuable, most likely dated between the 16th and 17th centuries. The internal decoration of the spaces, rethought and reorganized several times over the centuries, gives the visitor the experience of multiple overlapping artistic styles and trends. Artistically appreciable is the fresco of the dome located at the intersection of the arms of the naves in which the Glory of San Francesco di Paola by the Neapolitan artist Vincenzo Galoppi (1920) is depicted. The church of San Francesco di Paola has a very important role during the famous Procession of the Mysteries of the Rites of Holy Week in Taranto. Departing from the Church of Carmine at 5pm on Good Friday, it arrives there during the night to stop inside for about an hour. The stop gives the brothers useful time to pray, refresh themselves and rest before resuming the second part of the journey which will end in the morning hours of Holy Saturday.

The Church of San Francesco di Paola al Borgo was built in the last decade of the nineteenth century inside the Borgo Umbertino, an area of the city dating back to the nineteenth century where the Neapolis Magna Grecia was located. It was commissioned by Angelo Cecinato - a local patrician - as a private chapel inside his palace in Via Cavour, in memory of a grace received from the Saint. One of the rare examples of neo-Gothic in southern Italy, the chapel was made public and opened for worship by the Archbishop in 1899, at the express request of the owner. The architecture also presents particular influences of the Muslim religion, as can be seen from the arabesque style façade and the small door which was once green, the sacred color of Islam. The structure consists of two lateral cusps, acting as towers or bell towers, and a central rose window now devoid of the cross. Originally, on the façade of the small temple, there were three statues of saints of which no trace remains today, the same fate reserved for the statues of San Francesco da Paola and 4 other blessed, placed in small niches on the internal altar. The structure is currently accessed from a side entrance which serves as a sacristy, where a marble stoup and a small grate are visible. The rich decorations that adorn the altar are still visible. The small temple, which still belongs to the heirs of the Cecinato family, was abandoned for decades, until its reopening in 2015 on the occasion of the Saint's Day. To date, the committee promoting the collection of signatures is responsible for periodically opening it to the public and taking care of its maintenance. The church is a pilgrimage destination for devotees of the Calabrian saint and is above all known for offering hospitality for the pause in the procession of the Sacred Mysteries during Holy Week. The citizens want to draw attention to the property to save it from the degradation it is experiencing and to make it known to a wider public, enhancing this type of architecture which is so unusual for the Apulian region.

In 1956 the new facade of the temple was erected to replace the previous one. The church is a pilgrimage destination for devotees of the Calabrian saint and is above all known for offering hospitality for the pause in the procession of the Sacred Mysteries during Holy Week. ***PH***