Santa Maria della Valle Verde, also known as simply "La Vaglia", is the largest and most impressive one of the entire cave churches in Matera's rock area. The elegant facade shows four Romanesque portals in sequence made along the right aisle of the church. A stone rose window closes the opening that put the original church in communion with some caves of the upper floor.
The interior is entirely frescoed. You can admire the Deesis of Christ among St. Scholastica, St. Mary, St. John the Evangelist and St. Benedict (XIV century), Pope Gregory I the Great, and many other medieval paintings on the pillars and on walls.
In the sanctuary caves, dug all around, on the occasion of the feast of the Assumption, a big trade fair was held, attracting many faithfuls from neighbor towns.
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