Collemeto
| Collemeto | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Italy | ||
| region | Apulia | ||
| province | Lecce (LE) | ||
| local community | Galatina | ||
| Coordinates | 40 ° 12 ' N , 18 ° 6' E | ||
| height | 51 m slm | ||
| Demonym | Collemetesi | ||
| patron | Madonna of Constantinople | ||
| Telephone code | 0836 | CAP | 73013 |
Collemeto is a small village in the Italian municipality of Galatina ( province of Lecce ).
Place name
The name probably comes from the Latin verb cumulare .
history
Collemeto emerged as an ecclesiastical center in the Byzantine period thanks to the establishment of an abbey by Benedictine monks around the seventh century AD. In a second period the abbey became the home of the Basilian monks .
The first settlements were represented by farms built by the peasants in close contact with the monks. Around the abbey Collemeto developed as a typical example of the Byzantine chorion between the rooms of the five existing farm (Masseria Mongiò, Masseria Favale, Masseria Monache, Masseria Balsamo and Masseria la Camara), located on the ancient road that Copertino joined in Galatina also through the farmhouses of Mollone and Santa Barbara. During the Norman era, the farmhouse continued to develop thanks to the support of the Benedictine monks of Nardò and the Olivetans of Galatina. In the feudal period it belonged to the Maremonte and Brunello di Nardò, among others.
Many testimonies tell us of the presence of a cave of the Four Palms Masseria, in which there was an altar dedicated to the Madonna of Constantinople . This cave was not only a place of worship for the ancient residents of Collemeto, but also a great refuge from enemies during the world wars.
Attractions
Collemeto is on an important road that leads from Lecce , the city of baroque, to the port city of Gallipoli , and crosses the other axis that connects Copertino with Galatina , on which it is administratively dependent.
Church of Our Lady of Constantinople
The Church of Our Lady of Constantinople is dedicated to the Madonna of Constantinople and the parish church of the village. It was erected in the first half of 1900 on an existing building and consecrated in 1949. The church has a sober neo-Romanesque facade with a central rose window and an entrance portal on which the Mongiò family coat of arms, which promoted the construction of the building, is carved: an elephant with a tower. On the sides of the single portal there are two niches in which stone statues are housed. On the right side of the facade is the bell tower.