Ceglie Del Campo: Ancient Traces and Churches

Ancient Caelia and archaeological traces

For a trip focused on local history, Ceglie Del Campo offers several layers of time. Concentrations of Iron Age pottery have been found on the plateau along the Torrente Fitta and in the localities of Reddito, Buterrito and Tufaia. There are also burial grounds dating from the 7th and 6th centuries BC; the most significant was identified in Località Sant’Angelo. This places Iron Age pottery finds alongside burial sites from later pre-Christian centuries. This distinction in time offers more than one way to explore the town’s ancient history.

City walls, castle and ancient roads

Another chapter is the ancient settlement’s circuit of walls. Between the 5th and 4th centuries BC, it was five kilometres long and originally had four gates; part of it survives today. Compared with the burial grounds, it draws attention to the settlement’s spatial extent. The foundations of the Castello di Ceglie Del Campo also date back to the imperial period of Municipium Caelia. The opus reticulatum of the second building phase confirms this dating. The walls and castle foundations thus complement the older burials with further archaeological points of reference.

One road in the ancient town formed part of a route connecting Bari and Taranto; a second ran from Bitonto towards Gnatia and Brundisium. The first can be understood as a link between two cities, while the second is distinguished by its starting point and direction. The roads thus add a regional historical network of routes to Caelia’s history.

Individual burials also give the ancient history a tangible material dimension. Graves 2, 7 and 8 in Ceglie Del Campo, ancient Caelia, contained banquet ware, including finely crafted Greek and Magna Graecian pottery as well as locally made vessels. Comparing the pottery types adds a perspective on different forms of grave goods to the chronological picture.

Churches and religious history

The present-day Chiesa Matrice Santa Maria del Campo was built in 1776. Santa Maria di Buterrito was built in 1837 on the remains of an older chapel; the Madonna di Buterrito is still venerated in this church today. This makes it possible to consider building history and religious tradition side by side: for one church, the year of construction is a clear point of reference; for the other, its predecessor and the continuing veneration are key to understanding the place.

The church of Sant’Angelo follows the Byzantine rite and faces west. Its interior is believed to have a double Greek-cross plan, with one apse and a monks’ choir. Its rite, orientation and presumed floor plan offer different ways to distinguish this church from those with documented construction dates. The remains of the monasteries of Sant’Angelo and San Nicola are also located in the localities of the same names near Ceglie Del Campo. The Sant’Angelo Abbey complex is in a very dilapidated state; check its current condition before visiting.

A historical focus for your trip

When choosing a destination, you can weigh up two interests: the archaeology here connects several periods, from the Iron Age to the imperial period; the ecclesiastical history brings construction dates, rite and a continuing tradition of veneration into perspective.

Discover more destinations: Cellamare, Cozzana, Bisceglie, Bitonto, Minervino Murge, Santeramo In Colle, Sannicandro Di Bari, Castellana Grotte

For the main travel overview: Bari.