Martignano, the little jewel of Grecìa Salentina

The most widely accepted hypothesis on the origin of the name is linked to the Byzantine word μάρτυς (mártus) in reference to the name given to the town by the Basilian monks, who established an important place of worship in the area.

The marten ended up on the coat of arms, but this is a misinterpretation of the origin of the name.

As soon as you arrive in the town, close to the historic center, you find the mother church of Santa Maria dei Martiri. It dates back to the first half of the 16th century but the needs of worship have determined new construction phases. Today it has a very simple façade, surmounted by a triangular spire and embellished with shell-shaped hanging arches, typically from the 16th century. On the architrave of the main door is engraved a motto in Latin with the date 1541.

L’interno ospita degli altari barocchi, dei quali il maggiore e i laterali della Madonna del Rosario e di San Pantaleone furono scolpiti dall’artista leccese Giuseppe Cino.

There are numerous canvases by Salento painters such as the Madonna del Rosario, on the altar of the same name, painted between 1788 and 1789 by Oronzo Tiso. The mosaic floor dates back to 1876.

A visit not to be missed is the one to the pozzelle of San Pantaleo. The pozzelle were a system of cisterns of variable depth (up to 8 meters) built next to each other and covered with limestone stones, they were used to collect rainwater.

Read: the ancient pozzelle of Grecìa Salentina

In the historic center stands the eighteenth-century Palazzo Palmieri, home to the eponymous Cultural Tourist Park from which guided excursions to Grecìa Salentina depart.

The palace houses a semi-underground oil mill while behind it unfolds an elegant garden full of oranges, mandarins and medlars.

Leaving the palace, on the left, you find yourself immersed in the half-fresco paintings of the Chapel of San Giovanni Battista. Further on, instead, you come across the Chapel of the Madonna delle Grazie, called “Conella” where a fresco of the Madonna and Child has been brought to light.

Furthermore, in Martignano, the Carnival of Grecìa Salentina takes place every year, thanks to the tireless work of the “Sartoria popolare del Carnevale Griko”, a true carnival house, which every year creates papier-mâché masks and handcrafted items to accompany the various masked groups.

The Griko Carnival is twinned with the popular Carnival of Alagonia, a small community near Kalamata, Greece. An exchange that embraces the archaic and pre-Christian spirit of those territories with that of Grecìa Salentina.

The Death of Paulinu Cazzasassi represents the climax of the Martiganno event. The spirit of the carnival, through a purifying rite, passes from opulence to penance and spiritual recollection.