San Giovanni al Sepolcro, Romanesque church in Brindisi, Italy.

San Giovanni al Sepolcro is a circular Romanesque church in Brindisi's historic centre, built of large carparo blocks. Its main portal is framed by a pointed prothyrum on two columns resting on lions, with carved capitals and jambs showing the inhabited vine scroll, animal combats, Samson and Noah, and a Norman warrior with an oval shield. Inside, eight columns of cipollino marble and granite, some reused from antiquity, ring a horseshoe-shaped plan; the central dome collapsed and the roof was rebuilt.

Built in the late 11th century, the church is attributed by local tradition to Bohemond I of Antioch, who gave thanks for his return from the crusade. It belonged to the Canons of the Holy Sepulchre, documented in Brindisi by 1126, and passed to the Order of Saint John in 1489. The 1761 earthquake brought down the roof trusses and shifted the columns' axis, still visibly off line.

The main portal's architrave is carved with the inhabited vine scroll typical of Apulian Romanesque, including combat scenes between real and mythical animals, Samson and Noah, and a Norman warrior with a long oval shield. On the left jamb, a crowned figure stands before a cloth curtain, a motif used in Byzantine imperial imagery. A small south door has 10th-century reliefs of animals from Early Christian tradition.

The church is visited through organized guided tours that make multiple levels accessible, including the lower areas. It is advisable to wear comfortable shoes and allow enough time to explore all sections without rushing.

Archaeological digs inside the church uncovered Roman remains, including floor sections from an ancient house from that period. These layers tell of millennia of different settlements that built upon each other at this location.