The church of Lama d'Antico
Its architectural dimensions and shapes together with its decorations single it out from the other cave churches in Puglia: Lama d’Antico is like a cathedral dug in stone having a very interesting architectural system where typical elements of eastern and Latin churches coexist.
The two nave church, having a longitudinal plan, has the canonical guideline towards the East, the entrance, marked by two carved lunettes, leads laterally into the main nave. The two naves are covered by barrel vaults and the vault of the main nave which is higher and wide, is interrupted, in regard at the entrance, by a square opening where there was probably a dome : the dome was an extremely rare architectural element in cave churches and it could be seen emerging from the rock bench marking the presence of the church itself.
Originally the church may have been frescoed and nowadays there are traces represented in the bema and some saints’ icons, isolated or in triptyc, along the main aisle and one in the arches of the side one, but quite damaged after so long time .
Extremely interesting, from an iconographic point of view, is the lunette shaped apse, characterised by the presence of traditional Byzantine and Western motifs.
At the side of the apse there is a picture of San Giovanni Battista, to whom the church was dedicated.
Significant is the co-presence of saints from the East (San Lorenzo, San Filippo, Santo Stefano) and from the West (San Martino), this co-presence can be considered as an additional sign of integration between Eastern and Western cultures.
According to some scholars, the style of the frescoes allows us to date them to the second half of the XII Century; others attribute a more ancient date to the fresco of bema, making them to go back to the XI Century.
The painting decorations of Lama d’Antico, in particular the Maiestas Domini and the icons of the saint bishops, like the architectural shapes, the liturgical spaces and furnishings, make us think of the church as an important place of cult.
Written by Arch. Gianluca AndreassiDrawing of Nicola Cillo
