Church of Santa Maria dei Martiri

Santa Maria dei Martiri stands on Colle della Minerva, scene of the martyrdom which occurred on August 14, 1480.
The building was rebuilt in 1614 to replace an existing one wanted by Alfonso d'Aragona, in memory of the massacre that took place here. It's adjacent to the convent dating back to 1542.
On August 14, 1480, three days after the occupation of the city, Gedik Ahmet Pasha, commander of the Turkish fleet, ordered to bring the male habitants older than 15 years on the hill, and then asked them to renounce to their Christian faith, in exchange for their life. 800 prisoners resisted and were beheaded on a large boulder. Tradition has it that the first to be executed, Antonio Primaldo, was still standing, headless, until the end of the gruesome execution.