San Pietro, Byzantine church in historic center, Otranto, Italy.

San Pietro is a church with a Greek cross layout featuring three naves, each ending in a small apse. The apses are topped with small windows that allow light to enter the interior space in a measured way.

San Pietro is probably the first basilica of Otranto, which became a metropolis in 968 under the direct authority of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Scholars long debated its date; analysis of the structure, the Greek inscriptions and the frescoes points to the 9th–10th century.

The three apses hold Byzantine frescoes from the 10th-11th centuries. The oldest are the Washing of the Feet, with a haloed Christ lifting Saint Peter's leg, and the Last Supper; the Nativity, Pentecost and Resurrection date to the 14th century, and the Presentation in the Temple to the late 16th century.

The church stands in Otranto's historic centre, a short walk from the cathedral and the harbour. The interior is small and dim, so allow time for your eyes to adjust before looking at the apses. The floor is uneven in places; step carefully around the columns supporting the dome.

The interior walls carry Greek inscriptions, not Arabic ones; their lettering helped scholars date the building to the 9th–10th century. Look for them alongside the frescoes, since the Greek script is one of the main clues to the church's age.