Santuario della Madonna delle Tre Porte, Matera

Despite the church's rather rustic entrance, the interior is well decorated with frescoes and multiple crosses scratched into the walls. However, gaps in the masonry are the result of German archaeologist Rudolf Kubesh removing more valuable frescoes from the church in the 1960s. 

When you arrive,  you will see that the original entrance has disintegrated and it now looks just like the entrance to a cave. Originally the church was supported by four pillars and a series of arches but the front pillars have now collapsed but the walls of the two surviving naves are decorated with engraved crosses and with some rare niches aligned with the aisles.

The main apse is frescoed with a Deesis of Christ, with the Virgin and St. John the Baptist kneeling at the sides. To the left of the Deesis, there is a Madonna del Pomegranate, which symbolizes the life of humanity. In the left aisle, above the ambo, you can see the Annunciation and a Madonna enthroned with Child.  The last fresco is a scene of the Crucifixion.

 Asia/Wikimedia CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.it
Asia/Wikimedia CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.it
 Asia/Wikimedia CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.it
Asia/Wikimedia CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.it
 Asia/Wikimedia CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.it
Asia/Wikimedia CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.it

Opening Hours

Monday:
Open 24 Hours
Tuesday:
Open 24 Hours
Wednesday:
Open 24 Hours
Thursday:
Open 24 Hours
Friday:
Open 24 Hours
Saturday:
Open 24 Hours
Sunday:
Open 24 Hours
Back to top