Chiesa di San Matteo

Lecce


Known by the locals as Santa Maria della Luce, this graceful little church bears the fingerprints of Giuseppe Zimbalo, as much of baroque Lecce does. The famed architect completed the building, with its elaborate facade and more restrained interior, when the original architect died before completion.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Lecce attractions

1. Museo Faggiano

0.05 MILES

Descend through Lecce's rich historical strata in this fascinating home-turned-museum, where sewerage excavations led to the chance discovery of an…

2. Chiesa di Santa Chiara

0.09 MILES

A notable 15th-century church given a baroque makeover between 1687 and 1691, Santa Chiara is one of the most important and admired churches in Lecce…

3. MUST

0.1 MILES

The beautifully restored 15th-century Monastery of Santa Chiara houses this civic museum and gallery, and has a great view of the Roman theatre from the…

4. Museo Teatro Romano

0.11 MILES

Exhibiting artefacts revealed during the excavation of the adjacent Roman theatre, this museum also has displays recreating classical Roman life,…

5. Roman Amphitheatre

0.15 MILES

Below the ground level of the piazza is this restored 2nd-century-AD amphitheatre, discovered in 1901 by construction workers. It was excavated in the…

6. Cathedral

0.16 MILES

Giuseppe Zimbalo's 1659 reconstruction of Lecce's original 12th-century cathedral is recognised as being among his finest work. Zimbalo, Lecce's famous…

7. Colonna di Sant'Oronzo

0.17 MILES

Two Roman columns once marked the end of the Appian Way in Brindisi. When one of them crumbled in 1582 some of the pieces were rescued and subsequently…

8. Palazzo Vescovile

0.17 MILES

Facing Lecce's cathedral is the arched arcade loggia of the 15th-century Palazzo Vescovile, one-time residence of Neapolitan royalty and one of Lecce's…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "italy/puglia/lecce/attractions/chiesa-di-san-matteo/a/poi-sig/472554/359962",
      "destination": "Lecce",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Italy",
      "region": "Puglia",
      "city": "Lecce",
      "position": "superzone"
    }