Churches / Sternatia (LE)
Church of Maria Santissima Assunta
The mother church was built in the early 18th century to replace an earlier church of smaller size.
The interior is frescoed with images of the cardinal and theological virtues, the Holy Trinity, the archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael and scenes from biblical stories. In the nave, placed in the chapels, are the altars of St. Oronzo, St. Antonio da Padova, the Annunciation and Saint Gaetano of Thiene. In the transept develop four other altars, all made by the architect Emanuele Orfano of Alessano (1753-1842) , dedicated to St. Giorgio, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Our Lady of Constantinople and the Blessed Sacrament. In the presbytery, in addition to the main altar, there is a choir with pipe organ dating back to 1741 from the church of the Dominicans
In the church are preserved traces of the old building; there are still some remains of a fresco depicting the Madonna and Child, a block of Lecce stone on which is depicted the face of Christ.