View of the Church of Santa Maria del Suffragio (Purgatory) in Gravina in Puglia

The Church of Santa Maria del Suffragio, known as the Church of Purgatory, faces Benedict XIII Square in the historic center of Gravina in Puglia, a town located in the Murgia Barese region. Its construction dates back to the eighteenth century, and the building represents an example of the region's Baroque religious architecture. The facade, characterized by soft lines and restrained decoration, features a raised central portal surmounted by a serliana. A bell gable houses the bell in the upper part of the structure. The popular name derives from its historical function linked to the cult of the souls in Purgatory, a recurring theme in the iconography and devotion of the Baroque era. The historic fountain and adjacent civil buildings stand in front of the church.

Gravina in Puglia, Church of Purgatory, Santa Maria del Suffragio, Piazza Benedetto XIII, Murgia Barese, Apulia, Apulian Baroque, religious architecture