The story of Matera and that of Christian spirituality have always been closely intertwined and the heritage of sacred places both in the city and nearby, including the famous rock churches, make it unique in the world.

The Cathedral

The Cathedral of Matera is located in the district of the city called Civita. It is an ancient building which was completed in 1270, as can be read in the Latin inscription on the door of the bell-tower. It has always been known as Santa Maria della Bruna, presumably in reference to a painting of the Madonna of a brownish hue (in Italian “bruna”) inside the church. Built in the Apulian Romanesque style, upon the ruins of looted and abandoned crypts, the building was renovated in Baroque style, especially its interior.
The façade overlooks the Sasso Barisano, and is dominated by a rose window representing the Wheel of Fortune, which symbolizes the alternation of ups and downs of life of every person. The Cathedral of Matera has a Latin cross floor plan and contains many priceless works of art and valuable decorative features. For example the above-mentioned fresco of the Madonna della Bruna dates back to the thirteenth century, but the wooden choir of 1453 and the stone nativity scene that can be admired in the Chapel of the Nativity, created in 1534 by Altobello Persio are also very beautiful.

The Church of St. John the Baptist

San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist), once called Santa Maria La Nova, was built in the thirteenth century upon the ruins of a church outside the city walls. It is notable for the absence of a proper façade, and the entrance is on the right-hand side of the building. Externally it has all the typical elements of the Apulian Romanesque style, including a carved portal. The interior, however, is Gothic with longitudinal arches and ribbed cross vaults. The church houses a sixteenth century statue of Saint John the Baptist carved of tuff and a beautiful and colourful wooden Pietà sculpted by Pasquale Calabrese in 1888.

The Church of St. Francis of Assisi

It was built in 1248 upon an ancient underground church dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul and the crypt can still be visited by descending through a trapdoor in the third chapel on the left.
In 1670 the church was rebuilt in the Baroque style and it was in this period that its beautiful monumental facade, with statues of the Virgin Mary, St. Francis and St. Anthony.

The Church of Santa Chiara 
Originally a monastery, over the years it became a hospital, a convent of the Poor Clares, a house and a storeroom for the archaeological artefacts found at the end of the 19th century by Domenico Ridola, a fervent archaeologist. Today it houses the archaeological collections of the “Domenico Ridola” National Archaeological Museum.

The Church of Purgatory

The Church of Purgatory, built between 1726 and 1747, is typically baroque. Inside the church the dome is divided into eight sections, each of them containing the painting of a saint.
The relics of the Saints John of Matera, Callisto and Prospero are kept on the high altar. The façade represents the triumph of death and the ephemeral nature of earthly life, through the images of skeletons and skulls.

The Shrine of the Madonna of Picciano 
This shrine 18 km from Matera owes its name to the painting of the Madonna of Picciano on the high altar of the church. The structure probably dates back to around the year 1000 and it belonged first to the monastic knights Templar and then to the order of the Knights of Malta. Next to the shrine a monastery of the Benedictines of Orvieto was built in around 1966.
The present structure of the church with a nave and two aisles dates to the twelfth or thirteenth century. The shrine of Picciano is connected to the village of Picciano in Abruzzo, since the tradition tells that a local woman brought a picture of the Madonna from the church of Santa Maria del Soccorso in Picciano all the way to Matera. Another story relates that the cult of the Madonna of Picciano was introduced to Matera by shepherds who brought their flocks in transhumance from the mountains of Abruzzo to the pastures near this Sanctuary.

The Church of San Vincenzo La Martella 
The church, dedicated to Saint Vincenzo de’ Paoli, stands in the centre of the village of La Martella, 6 km from Matera. Designed by the architect Ludovico Quaroni, it contains various works of great artistic value, such a crucifix by Giorgio Quaroni, the presbitery, the baptistery and an ambo made by the Cascella brothers.

Religious festivals and celebrations 
On July 2nd the Festa di Maria Santissima della Bruna is celebrated, which is one of the oldest religious festivals of southern Italy.

Festa di Sant'Eustachio
Each year Saint Eustace, the other patron saint of the city of Matera, is celebrated on the first Tuesday of September. Legend has it that this Roman nobleman named Placidus was born in around the year 80 AD and that he became a general in the Emperor Trajan’s army. While hunting he came across a beautiful deer with a luminous cross between its antlers and he heard a voice telling him to convert to Christianity. He promptly did so and took the name of Eustace, which means "bringing forth many good ears of grain." Because of his faith Saint Eustace was persecuted and martyred along with his family.