The present day Piazza Commestibili is situated in an area in which the old Clarisse (Poor Clare religious order) convent was located. Together with the convent there was also the church of Santa Maria della Luce (Saint Mary of the Light); both of which were demolished in 1919 to create space for the construction of the new market.
The convent, according to the historian Antonio Profilo, was built in accordance with the wishes of the Mesagnese husband and wife Alfonso Caputo and Aquila Giovanomo. The married couple donated their assets in 1581 to be sold so that the proceeds could used to start the construction of the convent. We know that on the 13th August 1585 the first 23 nuns started their novitiate. In the area assigned to the convent stood the Chiesa di S. Demetrio, probably Byzantine, which was demolished with the permission of Monsignor de Ajardis, the Bishop of Brindisi from 1591 to 1595.
The construction of the church of Santa Maria della Luce began in 1644, and the convent underwent various works during the 1600s. In 1793, the nuns decided to build a new convent and they entrusted the task to Fedele Morgese. Unfortunately, many of the works originally housed in the church have been lost. The Crucified Christ and the remains of the body of Saint Ilario are now found in the Chiesa del Carmine, while the canvas depicting the Blessed Virgin of the Light was destroyed in 1974.
For almost a century, since its construction in 1920, Piazza Commestibili was the site of the Market. In 2005, the municipality’s administration started a project of urban regeneration, which had as its first intervention, the restoration of the site of the Mercato Coperto (covered market) and its redesignation for other enterprises. Today, it is the base for various commercial activities and the piazza is also a splendid location for cultural events.
