Ex Convento degli Agostiniani
The Monastery was built starting in 1573 by the Order of the Augustinians. In 1638, it was renovated by architect Giuseppe Zimbalo. The Church was completed in 1662, as a high example of Lecce Baroque: the entrance is formed by two pairs of columns richly decorated, which support the entablature topped by a statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The upper order is enhanced by a central window with arched pediment and side scrolls with busts of cherubim. The interior has a nave with six chapels arranged along the side walls, still it preserves the sixteenth century choir behind the main altar. The latter is dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and is enriched by the statues of St. Thomas of Villanova and Pope Alexander VII. The altars, among which is the one dedicated to St. Nicholas of Tolentino, 1656, by Placido Buffelli, was created in the mid-seventeenth century. The Convent, abandoned for decades, has undergone some restoration work, and is currently used to host cultural activities. The Cloister of 1644 the remains of a highly decorated columns containing various Latin engravings, and a shaft on which is carved the two-headed eagle, a sign of the presence of the noble Castriota Skanderbeg family. On the property front, it takes place every year on final concert of the Festival of Salento traditional music "Notte della Taranta".
