Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Chiesa di Santa Margherita

Like all places along the Adriatic coast, Bisceglie has Greek and Roman roots, but after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the area was not really "developed". First small monasteries were founded, when the Lombards ruled the area before the Saracens took over for three decades in the 9th century. Around 1000 the Normans arrived in Southern Italy. A vassal of Robert Guiscard became Count of Trani in 1042. At that time the fortification of the place, that is Bisceglie now, started. In 1197 the small Chiesa di Santa Margherita was built outside the city walls in 1197 by the noble family of Falconi. Over the centuries the town grew around the church so that by now, the building is squeezed among the surrounding houses. Unfortunately, the church was locked.