Chiesa dei Diavoli
The one known as the Chiesa dei Diavoli or Chiesa Nuova is actually the Church of the Madonna of Constantinople, a small octagonal church built in 1684 and located on the Via Vecchia del Porto, which starting from the historic center of Tricase leads to the port.
The construction was commissioned by Jacopo Francesco Arborio Gattinara, Marquis of San Martino, to satisfy the needs of the peasants who wanted a place of worship near the fields in which they carried out their activity. The small church also had the task of announcing, to those who came from the sea, that the Virgin was the main custodian of Tricase. His cult function was guaranteed daily by the presence of a chaplain and a custodian who, in addition to celebrating mass, made the bells ring every day, until his interdiction to worship in 1878. The Church of Our Lady of Constantinople is a treasure trove of legends and myths that have brought it the name of the Church of the Devils. Indeed, one of the legends says that the church was built by the devil in just one night. But this is not the only legend about the Davoli Church. Today the church has been restored and intended for cultural purposes under the care of the SAC Porta d’Oriente and the Meditinere Association.