Piazza Sant’Oronzo is the most important square in Lecce. Characterized by a vast combining of different styles, it is a witness of different historical eras.
In the past, the square was characterized by a different floor plan, where the convivial space was above the current Roman Amphitheatre, while the current space was occupied by the shop district, then demolished.
In the early 1900s, with the demolition of the ancient civil buildings, such as the Governor’s Palace and the Court, the construction of the Bank of Italy and, in 1939, the building for the headquarters of the Italian Commercial Bank began, on whose facade stands out the famous and characteristic clock made of bronze and enamel. Watch famous for having the largest and most characteristic dial in the world.
Another detail of this square not to be forgotten is the oval that there is in the center. It is a mosaic made by G. Nicolardi in 1930 depicting the coat of arms of the city. Tradition has it that during walks be careful not to step on it.
The Roman amphitheater
During the works on the urban plan of the city in the early 1900s, a fantastic Roman Amphitheatre was brought to light. Today, it is possible to admire only a third, while the remaining part is hidden under the square and the buildings around.
Dating back to the Augustan Age, the monument has an elliptical plan of 102 by 82 meters and could accommodate up to fourteen thousand people.
The structure is partly built in concrete, partly excavated in the Lecce stone present on site as a support of the bleachers, where the arena, the lower ambulatory and the radial tunnels have been created.
The building seems to be divided into four sectors with each the respective entrance and connecting stairs that allowed the use.
The external wall was originally marked by the succession of sixty-eight arches of which only the 24 pillars remain to this day.
Its column
One of the elements of the square not to go unnoticed is the "Column of Sant'Oronzo" that, with its 29 meters high, stands next to the Roman Amphitheater.
The column, on top, houses the status of the patron saint of the city of Lecce: Sant'Oronzo.
Its construction dates to 1666 and is the symbol of the gratitude of the Leccesi, convinced that the Saint had protected them from the plague of 1656.
The column is composed of boulders coming from the columns of the Via Appia in Brindisi, while the statue was originally made of Venetian wood covered with copper.
ùSubsequently, following an accident in which the statue caught fire, it was cast in bronze and relocated to the top of the column where - apart from the restoration periods - it has remained to this day.
Palazzo del Sedile
It is a building dating to 1592, built by the will of the Venetian Doge Pietro Mocenigo and boasts a unique style, almost a fusion between Gothic and Renaissance.
The structure consists of four pillars pierced by ovules that reveal a column. In the middle, there are large arches with pointed arches, on top of which lodges decorated with trophies.
Its use was institutional and until 1851 it housed the headquarters of the Munucipio of Lecce. Today, it is used for exhibitions and art exhibitions.
