Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the mother church of Tricase, in the province of Lecce.


The first parish church of Tricase dates back to the 14th-15th century. It was damaged by the Turks in 1480, by soldiers of the Count of Lecce in 1495 and by the Venetians in 1528. It fell due to its age and another one was built in 1581, dedicated to Our Lady of Foggiaro. It was rebuilt in 1736, the year in which it was decided to extend the structure, no longer sufficient because of the increasing population. The project of enlargement of the temple, on the advice of the Dominicans, was entrusted to Brother Tommaso Manieri of Nardò. The works began, but they were soon suspended because the stability of the structure was compromised. The expert report on the state of the church, at the request of Lecce Mauro Manieri, one of the most experienced and well-known architects of the time, confirmed the technical and structural shortcomings of the design Brother Thomas' design and provoked the immediate interruption of the work. In 1763, after nearly 20 years, he entrusted the execution of a new project to Andrea Preite of Copertino, who has given the building to worship in 1781.