Crypt of Original Sin, Matera

A rock-cut church near Matera, famed for vivid 8th-9th century frescoes, offers rare insight into early medieval religious art in southern Italy.

The Crypt of Original Sin, near Matera, is a rock-cut church celebrated for its frescoes of the 8th or 9th century. Often called the ‘Sistine Chapel of rupestrian art’, it preserves biblical scenes painted with notable clarity and colour. The works are associated with the so-called Painter of the Flowers of Matera, whose style gives the interior a distinctive character. The crypt offers a rare insight into early medieval religious art in southern Italy.