Santa Margherita, Romanesque church in Bisceglie, Italy.
Santa Margherita is a Romanesque church in Bisceglie with a gabled facade, lunette portal, circular window, and pyramid-shaped roof covered in local limestone slabs. The structure displays the clean lines and geometric forms typical of the Romanesque style in the region.
Construction of this church began in 1197 when commissioned by Falco, a judge of the Imperial Curia in medieval Bisceglie. The building arose during an era when the town was shaped by powerful families who used religious structures to demonstrate their authority.
The three tombs on the north side bear the family name Falconi, not Falcone: the first, incomplete, shows a reclining warrior for Basilio and Mauro Falconi; the second, by Facitolo da Bari, dates to 1220 for Riccardo Falconi; the third, by Anseramo da Trani in 1246, was for the Falconi children.
The church stands on Via Santa Margherita near the castle of Bisceglie. Note that the interior is not typically open to visitors, so a visit focuses mainly on viewing the exterior facade and the tombs outside.
The roof is covered in "chiancarelle", small slabs of local limestone, and its pyramidal form hides the extrados of the dome. On the north side, three 13th-century tombs by Facitolo da Bari and Anseramo da Trani honour Basilio, Mauro and Riccardo Falconi and the Falconi children.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,276 contributors worldwide.