INFORMATION ABOUT "PIETRA LECCESE"
Characteristics of "Pietra Leccese"
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The formation of the Apulian landscape dates back to the quaternary and tertiary periods and is composed of various types of limestone. The upper strata of these formations is characterised by the compaction of marine sediment. The sea covered the greater part of the territory of Salento, which subsequently emerged from the water, probably as the result of telluric movement. There are two principal types of stone which are found in the lower Salento: tufa and "pietra leccese" ("Lecce stone", also known as "Leccisu"). "Pietra leccese" is a limestone derived from marine sediment, and because of this it is not uncommon, when working the stone, to find fossils of oysters or other crustaceans embedded in it (in this case the stone is known as "cozzaruolo", literally "musseled"). The main material in the compostition of the stone consists of cretaceous sediment; this material was compacted with calcium substances already contained within the composition. |
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In the second half of the 16th century, Jacopo Antonio Ferrari, discussing the riches of the territory of Otranto in his noted work Apologia paradossica della città di Lecce, pointed out how these riches were not part of the "epidermis", or superficial world, but belonged more properly to the underworld, to a mundus subterraneus, mysterious and inscrutable. Beneath the earth, in fact, there are "sources of clear and fresh water" but also "a thick forest of wood for burning" and, above all, "a mountain of excellent stone for the contruction of buildings, public and private (...); in ocntrast to the other cities which have these things above ground". The mountain of stone from which the city of stone drew daily, is of such size that "if necessary such an abundance of stone is available (...) that it is possibible to build an impenetrable fortress within a few days". Writing somewhat later, Ferrari associates - according to a practice which will subsequently become common - the facility of working the material to the creative imagination of the Leccesi craftsman, the stone being "so workable that they carve with their scalpels, doing all the things which one would not only expect from master craftsmen but which are pleasing to the builder".1
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It is noteworthy that at the moment of quarrying the stone has a white, chalky colour, which becomes golden yellow as it oxidizes through exposure to the air.
«Il cemento leccese » scrive l'Imperato « è obediente al coltello, e alquanto polverolento nella sua superficie, comunque sia rotto: perlochè nel maneggiarlo imbratta di polvere bianca; si taglia in uso di murare, e si adopra anco in ornamenti di edificij con molta commodità per esser egli di molta facilità nel lavoro di scalpello, di serra e di tornio; oltre che molto resistente alle ingiurie dell'aria e delle pioggie, da' quali col tempo piglia durezza». 2
It is a pleasure for a sculptor to work with this material because it is so ductile that it permits the creation of very plastic, free and complex works. |
Since earliest times this type of stone has been used extensively by the people of the Salento. The first settlements in fact were located in caves carved into this type of rock. As well, a number of menhir were created in "Leccisu". As Christianity spread, the Anacorites dug out their crypts in this stone; just as the first Christians held their rites in these caves, the Olivetian monks constructed the monasteries of San Nicolo and Cataldo, and the church of Santa Caterina in Galatine, with "pietra leccese". Upon close examination litle has been written about the ingenious solution and technical complexity of the "star" and "pointed" vaults of Lecce, built with the local stone which lends itself so well to cutting. We find ourselves faced with a sophisticated building solution, which, given the scarcity of wood, allows spaces to be covered in spatial harmony and elegance. There is speculation that the ogival arch was introduced to Salento from the orient through the crusaders and carried north by the Normans. The "masserie" (fortified farmhouses) are also built in "pietra leccese". However, it was in the Baroque period that the large availability of this material, and the particular quality of its workability, allowed the realisation of lively and original creations. One need only stand before of one of the Baroque churches of Lecce to be impressed by the variety of its plastic decorations. Flowers, fruit, garlands held by putti, all create a festive whirl which joyously exalts the values of a city both rich and religious.
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«On y accède par une allée de hauts ciprès dont la couleur noire fait ressortir l'espèce de teinte dorée qu’a revêtue la pierre dont l'eglise est bâtie». E puntualizza anch'egli quanto il passaggio al colore oro, quasi al rosso, sia lento e graduale, come anche l'accrescimento della resistenza meccanica: « Cette pierre de Lecce, si friable, si blanche, quand on l'extrait de terre, puis elle durcit et jaunit, à cet air sec et léger, au point de revêtir une teinte presque pareille au beau marbre roux du Parthénon». |
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Scrive il Williams: «Appena cavata, la pietra può tagliarsi col coltello; si dice però, che dopo pochi giorni diventi durissima, tanto da resistere quasi allo scalpello». Il Sitwell giunge persino a parlare di un «ultimo dono», ai nostri occhi ingrato, della natura all'uomo.: «A costruzione completa, sia di chiesa sia di palazzo, questa pietra offre all'uomo il suo ultimo dono, indurendosi tanto da poter resistere più a lungo dei nostri nordíci graniti»
Nel supplemento letterario del Times dell' 8 settembre 1908 in cui viene recensito In the Heel of Italy del Briggs ancor prima che esso venisse divulgato, si legge che «la bella pietra offre a questo stile una speciale abbondanza di ornamenti. Essa può facilmente scolpirsi ed il tempo abbellisce il suo colore. L'intero risultato è ammirevole e affascinante per chi sente le varie impressioni della bellezza ( ... )».
1, 2 Cazzato, Vincenzo. "La fortuna della pietra leccese e il suo impiego in due emblematici restauri." In La pietra: interventi, conservazione, restauro: atti del Convegno Internzionale, Lecce 6-8 novembre 1981. Lecce: Congedo Editore 1983.
