- 29) LEQUILE RESULT OF ROMAN CENTURIONS

- 29) lequile result of roman centurions
The town

According to tradition, the origins of the village date back to the Roman Age, when the centurion Leculo settled in this area and built a villa, from which a village rose up. However, according to more plausible studies the origins of Lequile date back to a settlement of Roman centurions: the name of the town would come from the emblem of legionaries, as a result of the loss of the vowel "a" (from "Le aquile" to "Lequile").

From the 11th century until 1463 the village belonged to the County of Lecce and the Principality of Taranto. In 1291 Ugo di Brienne was the Lord of the town; in 14th and 15th centuries it belonged to Bonomine, De Marco, Sambiase, Santabarbara and Marescallo. In 1433 Maria d'Enghien, countess of Lecce, princess of Taranto and queen of Naples, gave it to baron Guarino from San Cesario, whose family held it until 1531, as a fee. In 1554 Doria became the lord of the village, then it has been conceded respectively to Pansa; dell'Anna family's grandchild, Graffoglietti, Venato, Imparato, and finally to Princes Saluzzo, who were the town's owners from 1690 to 1806, when feudality was abolished.

The origins of the name

According to a recent research, as well for Leqio Berria and Lequio Tanaro in the province of Cuneo. «The origin of Lequile seems to be connected to Latin expression "ad leucum", so at the beginning, where Lequile rises up, there were probably a "lucus", that is a shining clearing, or a "lacus", that is a clear expanse of water».
Menhir Aia della Corte      
The town

Menhir_Aia_della_CorteIt was discovered in 1922, it is a parallelepiped (45 x 35 cm) placed on a stone of a flowerbed in a widening at the end of Saint Nicholas Old Street, behinf the main church. Palumbo was the first person to make a survey and describes it as made of pietra leccese (a typical calcareous rock) and with deep engravings, that are still visible mainly in the south and east sides. The three sides at North, West and East have some engraved crosses. The Menhir is 285 cm high and has a reduction of the section at 30 cm, for few centimeters, at 170 cm from the plinth.

It is not clear the use and the function of these monuments that, since in the prehistory in Salento, have had ritual functions. A recent survey shows that these "Thick Stones" could be boundary stones in order to delimit Roman Centurations, not only for shape, but also for position and orientation.

 

 
Saint Vitus Spire      
The town

Guglia_San_Vito_LequileSaint Vitus spire was built in 1694 by Oronzo Rossi, a local sculptor; was made of pietra leccese according to Naepolitan Baroque. It has a pyramidal plan with floral and plant ornaments and ends with Saint Vitus statue.

 

 

...other palaces      
The town

Caiaffa Palace

It is a building with two floors and a refined balcony with small columns running around all the facade, that continues also on a wide terrace. The balcony is supported by anthropomorphic props and plant ornaments. It dates back to the 17th century.

Other palaces

  • Filippi Palace (today Filograna), XVI century
  • Brunetti Palace (today Mazzotti), XVII century
 

 

Princes Saluzzo Palace      
The town

Palazzo_dei_Saluzzo_LequilePrinces Saluzzo Palace (today De Palma) has wide windows and extended portico. It is noteworthy for its extended settings and its several rooms, the present building was probably enlarged in the first half of the 17th century, with an oratory on the upper floor and a private library that guards precious incunabula and different ancient copies from Apulia. On the ground floor there is a chapel dedicated to Saint George.

 

 

Saint Donatus Chapel      
The town

Saint Donatus chapel dates back to the beginning of the 17th century and has a structure that is similar to the church of Santa Maria of Loreto with gate and window that are alligned and a disjointed gable. In the half-round architrave Saint Donatus icon is sculptured. In the inner part, with starry vault, there is Saint Donatus statue made of papier-mache and an elaborate tabernacle made of stone dating back to the 18th century. The buinding has a small bell tower with crown.

 

 



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Torneo carnevale di Gallipoli - Coppa Santa Maria di Leuca
ASD Capo di Leuca I-73030 SANTA MARIA DI LEUCA (Lecce) Lungomare Colombo, 61 - C.F./P.iva 04422200750 Matricola FIGC 933909 Iscrizione Registro CONI 160426

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