Churches in Matera

Historic Churches & Crypts

Matera’s spiritual landscape spans centuries, from the 13th-century Apulian Romanesque Cathedral to ancient rock-hewn churches carved directly into the calcarenite cliffs. This collection features the Crypt of Original Sin, known for its 8th-century frescoes, alongside the Baroque facades of the piano district and monastic cave complexes like Santa Lucia alle Malve. These sites showcase a transition from early medieval Byzantine art to grand 18th-century architecture, reflecting the city’s evolution from a monastic settlement to a regional religious center.

Historic Churches & Crypts — Map

Ggia / CC BY-SA 3.0

A

Matera Cathedral

Matera Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Matera, Basilicata, Italy.

Pietro & Silvia / CC BY 2.0

B

Crypt of Original Sin

Often called the "Sistine Chapel of rupestrian art," this cave features 8th and 9th-century Benedictine-Beneventan frescoes depicting the biblical story of creation and the original sin.

Tango7174 / CC BY-SA 4.0

C

Madonna de Idris e San Giovanni in Monterrone

Excavated into the Monterrone limestone cliff, this complex consists of two connected rock-hewn churches featuring Byzantine-style frescoes dating from the 12th to the 17th centuries.

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

D

San Giovanni Battista, Matera

The Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista is a Roman Catholic church dating to the 13th and 18th centuries, located in Matera in the Italian…

Pietro / CC BY-SA 4.0

E

Santa Lucia alle Malve

This 11th-century rock-hewn church served as Matera's first female Benedictine monastic settlement. It contains significant frescoes, including the 13th-century "Madonna del Latte."

Franfra / CC BY-SA 3.0

F

Convento di Sant'Agostino

Built in 1592, this complex features a late Baroque facade and a bell tower. The church sits atop the ancient rock-hewn crypt of San Guglielmo.

Asia / CC BY-SA 4.0

G

San Pietro Caveoso

San Pietro Caveoso, also known as "Saint Peter and Saint Paul Church" is a Catholic church situated in the Sassi of Matera.

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

H

Sant Pietro Barisano

The largest rock-hewn church in Matera, dating back to the 12th century. It features an 18th-century facade and underground rooms used for the mummification of priests.

Pietro / CC BY-SA 4.0

I

Chiesa del Purgatorio

An 18th-century Baroque church notable for its facade decorated with carvings of skulls and skeletons, symbolizing the transition between life and death.

Velvet / CC BY-SA 4.0

J

Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi

This church features an 18th-century late Baroque facade and was constructed over an ancient 11th-century rupestrian crypt, which is still accessible within the building.

Pietro / CC BY-SA 4.0

K

Madonna delle Vergini

Situated within the Murgia Materana Park across the Gravina ravine, this rock-hewn church features a traditional rupestrian interior and overlooks the Sassi.

Other Lists

Matera Essentials Archaeological Wonders Scenic Viewpoints