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San Martino d'Agri

Info
Distance from Potenza: 76 km

Distance from Matera: 100 km

Altitude: 666 m amsl

Postal code: 85030

Inhabitants: 1054 (Sanmartinesi)

Commune in the province of Potenza

According to old historical tradition, San Martino was created by the destruction of Grumentum, like many other villages around.

This village belonged to the Sanseverino from Bisignano up to 1565, when, because of the breakdown of the feudal system, this area was sold to Sifola from Trani who owned it until 1806. Later it belonged to the Chiaromonte County, then to the order of the Templars before and to the Knights of Malta after. In the XV century, San Martino was populated again by a colony of Albanian refugees.

This village has an interesting old centre, with narrow lanes, little houses in stone, steep steps and palaces with little loggias and decorated portals.

The main monument in this village is San Francesco’s Church, built in 1512 and restored in 1714. It is a one nave church with rich stuccoes. Inside it there is a fresco of the Crocifissione dating from the XVII century with the town of Jerusalem, painted by Giovanni De Gregorio, called Pietrafesa. On the right of the altar there is a wooden statue of the ‘Madonna della Rupe’, XVII century, as a copy of the old wooden Madonna, of Byzantine origin. The nine panels that can be seen in the false ceiling used to be part of a polyptych composed by 15 paintings on wood dating from 1538.