Santa Chiara, Lecce, Baroque church in historic center of Lecce, Italy.
Santa Chiara is a baroque church with an octagonal layout and deep sanctuary area, decorated with ornate altars and elaborate sculptures throughout its interior. The space features twisted columns supporting the design and a carefully organized decorative program that covers the walls.
The original church was built in 1429 under Bishop Tommaso Ammirato and gained its current baroque form through major reconstruction between 1687 and 1691 led by architect Giuseppe Cino. This transformation changed the medieval structure into a grand baroque building.
The church displays numerous wooden sculptures of saints from the late 1600s, placed within carefully carved wall niches throughout the interior. These carvings reflect the religious artistry that was important to local craftspeople and shape how visitors experience the space today.
The church sits in Piazzetta Vittorio Emanuele II near the Roman amphitheater in Lecce's historic center. The attached monastery building now functions as a civic museum, giving visitors a chance to explore additional cultural spaces nearby.
The ceiling uses over 300 papier-mâché modules created in 1738 by local craftspeople to mimic the look of wood, creating a convincing visual effect from below. This method allowed for a large decorated surface to be produced more affordably while maintaining impressive visual results.
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