The Cathedral of Otranto
The Cathedral of Otranto was founded in 1068 by the Norman bishop William. An artistic and historical jewel that combines Byzantine, Early Christian and Romanesque elements.
In August 1480 it was the scene of carnage by the Turks against the clergy and civilians who had taken refuge in it. Today in the right aisle, in the Chapel of the Martyrs, are preserved the mortal remains of the eight hundred Holy Martyrs of Otranto, massacred and beheaded on Colle della Minerva on 14 August 1480 for not wanting to deny the Christian faith.
The cathedral offers an extraordinary visual impact inside for the decoration of the floor, a mosaic with an articulated iconographic program. The images develop along the Tree of Life and retrace the human experience from original sin to salvation.
Very interesting is also the crypt, which extends under the apse and the presbytery. It is characterized by the forty-eight spans interspersed with over seventy pillars.
