South-east of Mottola, in the Gorgone area near the Lamaderchia farm, along the ancient Via Consolare which represents a medieval branch of the Via Appia, stands the jewel in the crown of the Mirabili Grotte di Dio Mottolesi, the rock church of San Nicola, so named by Charles Diehl who was the first to describe it in 1894, an object of devotion for centuries of the local inhabitants, as well as of the Crusaders and pilgrims who travelled to Taranto and Brindisi from the inland regions to embark for the Holy Land.
The beauty of its frescoes, cleaned for the first time in 1972 and restored in August 1989, after the vandalism of some heads of the wall icons, have led to it being defined as the Sistine Chapel of the rock civilization in Southern Italy. In truth, in this rock church we find ourselves in front of the most complete and astonishing art gallery of the popular sacred art of Puglia, which manages to fully highlight the testimonies of the various theological and artistic influences of oriental and Latin origin, spanning almost four centuries of the Middle Ages.
The church is located on the edge of the ravine and can be accessed via stairs carved into the rock and adapted from the recent iron structure prepared by the Superintendency. A double-ringed lunette surmounts the door to the crypt and on it are visible traces of painted decoration of a half-length haloed figure.