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Cripta del Peccato Originale
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Cripta del Peccato Originale

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Cripta del Peccato Originale
4.5
About
The Crypt of the Original Sin, in Matera, is located inside a natural cave on the Murgia plateau, near the old Appian Way. Commonly known as “the Sistine Chapel of rupestrian art”, the Crypt was discovered in 1963 by a group of local youths, who noticed the splendid frescoes in what at the time, had become a shelter for sheep herds.Experts later dated the cycle of paintings back to the second half of the 8th century, with Late-Romanesque style and formal elements of Oriental inspiration, such as the Byzantine-style Triarchsand the profile of the Virgin Mary, majestically represented in the sumptuous clothes of the Byzantine empress, the Basilissa.The anonymous, humble artist – who was soon nicknamed the “Flower Painter” – depicted biblical figures in total freedom: God the Creator, Light and Darkness, Adam and Eve, the three Apostles John, Peter and Andrew, the Archangels and Mary. The paintings on the rough walls of the cave are different and unique in Matera’s iconographic context. The scenes are the fruit of the painter’s personal creativity and certainly speak of his freedom in translating complex depictions, and of a lively spontaneity in drawing images. The Crypt of Original Sin may only be visited by booking.
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The area
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2 within 3 miles
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
1,139 reviews
Excellent
877
Very good
181
Average
40
Poor
15
Terrible
26
Aussies_Travelling
Melbourne, Australia34 contributions
Worth the Drive out - but watch your timing.
Jan 2022
The frescoes are a true treasure of Italian history, unique for their subject matter and age.

If you have made your booking, and do not get there 30 minutes before hand, then wander quickly down the track and you will more than likely catch the group, as we did.

Highly recommended, which is saying something for a site so close to Matera and its cave churches.
Written March 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AMsays
Thornhill, Canada4,056 contributions
What an experience!!!
Jul 2022
On the morning of my 9 am tour, Expedia did not transmit my confirmed reservation to the actual tour operator, Martulli Viaggi so they left without me. Conveniently, they set me up with another tour of the Crypt of Original Sin for 10:30. I could have reserved also and done it independently but thought booking with Expedia would be better. Not so. Check in was at a winery where you're given an audio guide that was very helpful. Then you're driven to the actual location. Such a magnificent place, full of history, spiritual significance - truly a treasure. The frescoes were amazing and the explanations tied everything togather. I am so glad I didn't miss it...
Written August 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KathrynE
Los Angeles, CA816 contributions
Worth the drive out from Matera
Mar 2022 • Couples
Really beautiful rock/cave church outside of Matera. You can reserve tickets online ahead of time. Check in is at a winery and then you walk or drive down to the church. Audio guide in English explains things very well. Photos are not allowed inside.
Written June 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
StudentessaMatta
San Francisco, CA69 contributions
Matera - Crypt of the Original Sin, a gem for Art Historians
Sep 2013 • Business
In 2013 I began my visit to Matera with a stop outside the city to visit the "Crypt of the Original Sin". This little chapel carved into stone has been described as the Sistine Chapel of the south. Just a few kilometers from Matera, in one of the ravines that run through the plateau of the Murgia, is one of the most evocative places you can find the Crypt. Inside a small hollowed section of the limestone cliff, you will see art work painted by the skillful hand of the "Painter of Flowers of Matera" who has narrated scenes from the Old and New Testament in a cycle of frescoes dating back to the ninth century. A.D. The crypt was discovered in May 1963, and after an exemplary restoration, organized by the Foundation Zètema of Matera and assisted by the 'Institute for Conservation and Restoration, the crypt has been restored so that we can now enjoy the incredible frescos found the cave. Highly recommended by Melissa Muldoon, la studentessa matta
Written July 15, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hoyin
HK20 contributions
Unarguably beautiful frescoes,but not sure about the efforts spent
Just to share our recent experience so fellow travellers can form a more realistic expectation on the crypt.  The crypt has no formal address and the only way to drive there is to meet its rep at a gas station 8km away from Matera you follow him to drive there, through the country road.  The road leading to the crypt was very rugged and not paved, so almost certainly you would scratch your car.  After 5-10 minutes you arrive at a single cave the size of a hotel room, with some frescoes not so well maintained nor really impressive.  The room is all dark, and you sit there to listen to 30 minutes recordings describing the frescoes.  There are frescoes on 2 sides. You can only look at frescoes when spotlights are shed. Then you drive back and leave.  Considering the time and difficulty to drive there and the cost, compared to what we see, I think a sensible traveller may wish to think twice.
Written October 10, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
italiasumisura
Gilze, The Netherlands6 contributions
experience cave fresco's out in the fields
Mar 2011 • Friends
Out of the ordinary trip. you have to book in advance and meet just a couple of miles out of Matera at a gasstation (which serves excellent coffee!). Guide leads the way and takes you to a private cave you would never have found on your own.
Written February 7, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Whatbob
Glasgow, UK431 contributions
Great place but we were let down
Mar 2015 • Couples
Booked an English tour some weeks before. Email from them that they had booked a large Italian group so the tour would now be in Italian so could we choose another time - English language options given. We re-booked but the tour was with an all Italian speaking group and was all in Italian. They gave us a written guide in English which was unreadable in the dim light. I'm sure the commentary and music are all very nice if it was at all possible to understand them. he cave (a single cave) and paintings are a lovely sight to see but if English is booked they need to deliver what is offered. They did fully refund and were very polite about the failing. We did feel we had wasted a chunk of our limited time in Matera because of the language mess up. It involves driving 10Km from Matera to a (garage and then a few Km convoy to the site. Tour is about 1 hour. 9 Euro is a good price (if you get what you pay for) but it is a time consuming activity and limited numbers mean booking ahead is a very good idea.
Written April 3, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ashaari
26 contributions
History and Excellent Guide
Amazing history class in Matera from an excellent tour guide (Antonio).
No signs or signals to the chapel, but visitors can meet the guide at a gas station about five minutes from the site, or you can just explore the area and ask for directions.
MAKE SURE TO CALL AND BOOK BEFORE GOING THERE.
The Chapel is very small, but rich in historical information, provided by our guide Antonio. He was very kind and answered all our questions. And because we were the only two people who don't speak Italian, he gave us a private lesson and told us to be his guests for that day.
Written January 11, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Muflix
Quebec City, Canada12 contributions
An experience in the middle on nowhere
Aug 2013 • Couples
Dear Traveller,

after having discovered that just 1% of the Matera annual turist visit the Cripta (Chiesa dei 100 Santi) I decided to write this brief and friendly review.

It is my second time there within 2 years. The first time I had a special visit organized by some local politicians to show the Cripta to a famous economist from Harvard. The second time I was perfectly anonymous and with some good friends from Milan/Washington D.C. workink at the IADB.

We booked the visit on line calling a direct number (cell phone) on a sunday afternoon. We have a 4 people visit for 8euros each.

Diego , the guide, was perfectly bi-lingual, enthusiastic and deeply acknowledge and the entire history behind the discovery and the set-up of the Cripta. The Cripta is one of the few PRIVATE (not privately founded) museums in Basilicata and in Italy. An association of Art lovers manages it amazingly. A navette picks you up at a meeting point and drives you there.

The place is amazingly well managed. There are audio-guides in Italian, French and English.
The lighting of the Cripta is just perfect and perfectly synch. with the audio guide and the Gregorian musics.

It is an experience in the middle of no were!
Written August 13, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tandem_travellers
Vancouver131 contributions
Visit this unconventional "chapel" with an open mind
Jun 2019 • Couples
Don’t expect to see any signage pointing you to the Crypt of the Original Sin (Cripta del Peccato Originale) because the general public are not expected to just show up and be allowed in. The ancient cave of worship is actually owned by a local winery, F.lli Dragone Agricultural Company, about 15 minutes drive from the Sassi. If you'll have your own car, it’s not that difficult to locate the winery and joining a tour is unnecessary. Pre-booking online is a must because they only allow limited number of visitors into the cave at any one time. I booked mine one day ahead for their earliest admission at 9:30 am (maybe it wasn’t quite high tourist season yet?) for 10 euros, but i’d recommend booking much more ahead if it’s on your must see list. They provide very clear driving instructions with coordinates of meeting location on the booking website, we had no problem finding it using google map. After we checked in at the winery (at least 30 minutes before the admission time), we were given an English language audio guide with headset. About 5 minutes before our admission time, we were led by the guide in his minivan to the location of the cave nearby. Once inside the dark cave, we sat on the big rock and the broadcast of Italian commentary began soon after. My headset was synced with the Italian commentary, unfortunately, I experienced constant static with my headset and I found it somehow annoying. (At least one other visitor complained that his headset wasn’t working at all.) Regardless, i found the commentary to be very informative and really admired the frescoes (a style very unique to Matera but don't expect them to be as refined as the Classical style of painting commonly seen in other European religious institution.) Photos were not allowed inside the cave, but when the commentary was over and the natural light was let into the cave, visitors were allowed to view the frescoes up close for a few minutes and the visit ended there. I opted to go back to winery to check out some of the packaged pasta and wines they have on sale. In my opinion, the frescoes of this crypt are better restored than the ones found inside Chiesa di Santa Maria di Idris (Church of Saint Mary of Idris – between 3 to 4 euros admission) located in Sassi. Overall, i’d recommend visiting the crypt. Because of the issue with the headset, I can’t give it an excellent rating.
Written July 13, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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