Crypt of the Redeemer (Taranto)
The Crypt of the Redeemer (Italian: Cripta del Redentore ) is one of the most important monuments in the Borgo Nuovo of Taranto from Roman times. The ancient burial chamber is located in Via Terni and can be reached through an old spring water well that leads into a circular grotto about 8 m in diameter. The walls of the grotto are decorated with frescoes from the 12th century that are valuable for art : in the altar niche Christ Pantocrator between John and the Virgin Mary , on the side walls Paul , Eupilius and Stephanus .
After the 13th century , the crypt was forgotten for several centuries, probably because it was well outside the city. In 1899 it was rediscovered by the Italian archaeologist Luigi Viola while working on his property. Thanks to a petition from the Archbishop of Taranto Monsignor Guglielmo Motolese , the decision was made in March 1979 to restore the crypt, but it cannot be visited.
Legend of Peter
The deep popular veneration made this site a legendary scene of the first Christian evangelization in Taranto. As the "Historia Sancti Petri" shows, the apostle Peter would have landed in the port of the city around the third hour after a stop on today's island of San Pietro . He would have been thirsty and would have gone to the holy place where there was a well. A large bronze statue of a pagan god, probably Zeus , would have stood nearby . While the saint would have crossed himself to dedicate this site to John the Baptist , the statue would have broken.
This event is depicted in 1675 by the painter Giovanni Caramia in his painting Entry of San Cataldos in Taranto . The painting is now on a side wall of the vestibule of the Cathedral of San Cataldo .
See also
Coordinates: 40 ° 27 ′ 50 ″ N , 17 ° 15 ′ 47 ″ E