One of the most evocative places in Cellino San Marco is the Chiesa Matrice of SS. Marco Evangelista and Caterina d'Alessandria. An architecturally relevant building in the Apulian style and a treasure trove of artistic treasures worth a visit.
The construction of the church dates back to 1738, restored several times over the years, in 1870 it was refurbished to the design of Brindisi architect and engineer Antonio Rubini in the neoclassical style visible today, evident in the monocuspidal façade.
The 18th-century structure consisted of a single nave, some changes in the history of the curia and the many interventions for static consolidation led to the neoclassical renovation in 1870, which saw a new division of the interior spaces into three naves in a basilica plan, the construction of the bell tower and the dome with its typical polychrome tile roofing.
Inside, you can admire important works of art from various periods, including the splendid Baroque altar, the precious canvas of St. Mark painted in 1754 by the Brindisi artist Giovanni Scatigno, the vault of the presbytery area that features a first wall painting by Leonardo Perrone, with St. Catherine of Alexandria among the Doctors of the Temple, and a second dating back to 1955 with the Holy Evangelists, by Salvatore Murra.
