Chiesa di San Basilio Magno di Troia

Probably of early Christian origin, as evidenced by the numerous architectural and decorative elements dating back to the second century after Christ, the Church of San Basilio di Troia was probably rebuilt with a Latin cross plan during the foundation of the Byzantine Troja.

It is a beautiful isolated building, characterized by the weaving of walls in living stone. Its current appearance, however, is affected by the many changes suffered over the centuries, especially between the Renaissance and the Baroque. The church is very simple both inside and outside.

The facade is characterized by the original portal and the mullioned window at the top; in the two small four-poster timpani denounces the Baroque tampering. Ancient seems instead the only apse, which protrudes from the wall and is crossed by columns and hanging arches. While the doors on the left side are richly decorated (one is surmounted by a Roman architrave). The bell tower is evidently from a later period.

The interior is an austere space, sharp and defined: with three naves, has vaulted roofs that in the '500 have replaced the old roof trusses. The vault is supported by eight columns built with fragments of marble and stone ashlars that support simple rough capitals, abaci and round arches. The central dome is also Renaissance, while the barrel-shaped cover of the right arm of the transept and the cross-shaped cover of the sacristy are original.

The church houses a beautiful seventeenth-century baptismal font, a fresco of the sixth century, depicting the Baptism of Christ, and an eighteenth-century canvas of the Madonna with Child and Saints, possibly the work of Solimena or Domenico Preste.