San Giovanni Battista Church

The present-day church is the result of several expansions of an earlier chapel dating from before the second half of the 14th century, a place where, according to historical tradition, “God, through the merits of the Saint, performed many miracles”.

The first major enlargement followed the arrival in Turi of the Franciscan Order of the Observance, supported by the Moles family and authorised by Pope Gregory XIII in 1575. Construction work on the church and adjoining convent progressed rapidly and was completed by 1580. Both buildings reflected the characteristic features of Franciscan architecture.

The convent and its friars, entrusted with promoting devotion to Saint John the Baptist, the town’s principal patron saint, remained active until 29 November 1865.

The church’s final major expansion dates from 1837, when the new Neoclassical façade was also constructed. The work followed the last miracle attributed to the Saint, commemorated by popular acclaim in the inscription carved into the façade.

The church has a single-nave interior. Along the right-hand side are four deep chapels, corresponding to four shallow stone altars on the left. The high altar features a fine painting of the Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John, created by Gaspare De Populo in 1618.

Among the most significant examples of Franciscan art are the wooden Calvary created by Fra Angelo da Pietrafitta according to the Franciscan principles of the Counter-Reformation, and the painting of the Immaculate Conception by Fra Antonio da Conversano.

The church also houses important paintings by Donato Paolo Conversi and Alonso de Corduba, together with a 17th-century wooden statue of Saint John the Baptist and several notable 19th-century sculptures, including statues of Saint Anthony, Saint Paschal Baylón and Saint Joseph.