Chiesa Santa Maria Del Suffragio in Monopoli, Baroque church in Monopoli, Italy

Chiesa Santa Maria del Suffragio is a Baroque church on Via Argento in Monopoli, built on a cruciform plan with a single nave and a dome over the crossing. Its facade is divided by a cornice and four Tuscan pilasters; the portal frame and the metopes above carry skulls and crossed bones. To the left stand a late-18th-century chapel, a bell tower and a sacristy above a small underground cemetery reached by an outside stair from the garden.

The church was commissioned by the canons of Monopoli Cathedral after the collapse of its bell tower, which destroyed nearby houses and killed many people. The Confraternity of Santa Maria del Suffragio bought the ruined land and built the church in memory of the victims. The first stone was laid on 7 November 1687, and the building was completed in 1700; other sources date the solemn blessing by vicar general Nicolò Romanelli to 1700. In 1717 the confraternity brought Paolo de Matteis's painting of Santa Maria del Suffragio from Naples.

The church is also called Chiesa del Purgatorio, and the confraternity of Santa Maria del Suffragio commissioned it to pray for the souls in purgatory. The nine standing skeletons in the wall showcases, seven men, one woman and a little girl with glass eyes, are citizens who died between 1770 and 1830. Their black clothes carry red tongues of fire, a symbol of purifying flames.

Access to the interior is limited and it is best to check opening times beforehand. The mummies are visible only through glass, so natural light helps when trying to see the details inside.

The entrance door features a rare artistic choice: two skeletal figures holding a mat together, surrounded by floral patterns. This unusual combination blends mortality symbols with decorative beauty.