During the refurbishment of the Piazza Porta Pistola a Matera, the remains of a cult building have been found with at least one fresco dating back to the end of the sixteenth century. A find of great historical importance because it allows us to know the church of Sant'Eustachio de Posterga of which they were lost track, after the works of the '30s.
The correct location of the Church of San'Eustachio has been confirmed
The official status came after an inspection by the mayor Domenico Bennardi and the Superintendent Francesco Canestrini together with the archaeologist Isabella Marchetta, in charge of the construction site. - the church of Sant'Eustachio de Posterga was identified in that area by a public search in December 2017 in the magazine Mathera. For the first time, the correct location of the church was proposed, up to then considered contiguous to the Cathedral. Initially it was proposed in the immediate vicinity of the former convent of S. Lucia.
The fruitful collaboration between residents of the Sassi ("Committee Sassi") and the contracting administration (Assessori Corti and D'Oppido) was fundamental in finding the remains. All accepted the Committee's request to activate an archaeological excavation campaign before carrying out the repaving work. In this way the (rich and well-known) historical-archaeological stratification of the area, already investigated by Eleonora Bracco in 1933, at the time of construction of Via Madonna delle Virtù with its square. Everyone's hope is that we can continue with the excavations and quickly recover further funds.
Future goals
This methodology has often been applied to Matera. There are many projects completed in recent decades: new Seminar, Bank of Italy, Piazza San Francesco and Piazza Vittorio Veneto. Sometimes, however, they have been sacrificed for emergencies. The goal is to fully bring to light the archaeological and historical-artistic testimonies that have come to light, and on the basis of those review the original repaving project. In this way it will be possible to donate yet another historical testimony of international importance to the city of Matera.
Photo source: facebook page Trip to Matera
