The small private church of Saint Mary of Andria is mentioned for the first time in the pastoral visit of the Archbishop Francesco de Estrada in 1663. The note regarding the visit contains the following phrase: “posita in suburbio noviter constructa per Ignatium de Luca”. We learn therefore that it was built at the behest of Ignazio de Luca under the patronage of the Marseglia family.
The decrees from the holy visit also included an inventory of the furnishings of the church. The inventory didn’t as yet mention the canvass depicting the Madonna of Andria, Saint Ignatius and Saint Nicholas of Tolentino. In the subsquent pastoral visit of 1709, carried out by the vicarial general don Pietro Falces, the canvass was mentioned; in fact, Falces ordered that the canvass be cleaned. The exquisite canvass is still found today in its rightful place within the church.
The church hasn’t experienced any major structural changes: it has a simple facade with a single window and a bell tower. The interior is composed of a single nave with a barrel vaulted ceiling. The reason why the church is named after the Madonna of Andria is provided to us by the historian Antonio Profilo who writes that the worship of Saint Mary of the Miracles of Andria is attributed to the bishop of Mesagne Lucantorio Resta. It seems that Resta, in 1592, was afflicted by an illness and turned to the Madonna of Andria for help with a cure. After returning to health, he remained extremely devoted and promised devotion to the Madonna in his city of birth: Mesagne.
