The Church of Saint Luke the Evangelist in Praiano
Located in the upper part of Praiano, just a few minutes’ walk from our boutique hotel, the Church of St. Luke the Evangelist is dedicated to the patron saint of the town. Protector of artists (as well as surgeons, doctors and notaries), he is credited as the author of the Gospel according to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, the third and fifth books of the New Testament.
Notarial documents forming the so-called Perris Code mention a place of worship that already existed in 1123, on which this church was built in 1588. In the second half of the 18th century, the building underwent a complete renovation of the interior and façade to give it a decorative late Baroque-Rococo style. The work was completed in 1772. Recently, during the 21st century, it has undergone various restoration works both inside and outside.
The church stands out for its majolica dome set directly on the apse, which is very rare on the coast. The façade, restored in 2013, is divided horizontally into three parts by moulded pilasters with triglyph capitals. The main portal opens in the central section, surmounted by a niche and a splayed round-arched window. The side sections house the secondary entrances surmounted by quatrefoil windows. To the right of the façade, separated from it by a narrow stepped street surmounted by a small passageway, stands a powerful, low-rising bell tower with three orders, the last of which is emphasised by single-lancet windows.
The architectural layout of the church is divided into three naves with five arches on each side supported by masonry pillars. The central nave is covered by a groined barrel vault, while the side naves are covered by stucco cross vaults. Along the side aisles there are six chapels on each side, housing marble altars and extensive decorations. The floor in Vietri majolica tiles, dating back to 1789, is very beautiful and finely crafted, displaying in all its chromatic splendour a floral repertoire that frames the image of St. Luke depicted in the act of painting in the centre.
Among the church’s rich artistic heritage, the following are worth mentioning: the precious polychrome marble balustrade, the altar frontal of the Rosary altar and the high altar; a silver bust of the patron saint dating back to the 17th century; a canvas depicting the Circumcision of Jesus, by Giovanni Bernardo Lama, a well-known local painter of the 16th century; the painted panel of Our Lady of the Rosary, created by Padovano De Montorio in 1572; a painting depicting the Immaculate Conception by the Neapolitan school painter Silvestro Buono; and two 18th-century organs, also from the Neapolitan school.
Solemn celebrations in honour of Saint Luke the Evangelist are held twice a year, on the first Sunday in July and on 18 October. The community gathers around the Church of Saint Luke to honour its patron saint with religious services and popular festivities. This is a particularly important event for the inhabitants, who keep the cult alive with great devotion.
Photo © Parrocchia San Luca Evangelista Praiano
