Church of Santa Chiara

The Church of Santa Chiara is located in the historic centre of Turi (BA) and is one of the town’s most significant religious landmarks. It was built between 1623 and 1631 at the initiative of two local nobles, the brothers Vittore and Elia De Vittore, who also financed the adjoining monastery intended for the cloistered Poor Clare nuns.

The church has a rectangular layout, with a barrel-vaulted ceiling featuring lunettes and side chapels defined by pilasters. The interior reflects a sober yet refined Baroque style, enriched with 18th-century stuccoes and decorative elements. The high altar is dominated by a large painting dated 1771, depicting the Death of Saint Clare, attributed to the painter Carlo Amalfi. Other notable artworks include paintings attributed to Fedele Fischetti and marble sculptures by the Sanmartino brothers, among the most renowned Neapolitan artists of the period.

One of the church’s most distinctive features is the presence of the gelosie—gilded wooden grilles positioned high along the walls. These allowed the nuns to attend religious services while remaining hidden from the congregation, in keeping with the rules of cloistered life.

The monastic complex was suppressed in the 19th century, but the structure has been preserved and carefully restored. Today, the former convent houses the municipal library and spaces dedicated to cultural and social activities, while retaining the site’s historic character and charm.

The Church of Santa Chiara stands not only as an important example of Baroque religious architecture, but also as a key chapter in the spiritual and cultural history of Turi.