Madonna del Lume

In front of you stands the Palazzo d’Amelj, a baroque palace with a light stone façade extending over thirty meters. It stands out for its large wrought-iron balustrade, with unique curved lines in the old town. This palace is the result of the fusion of several medieval houses, purchased and combined over the centuries. The d’Amelj family, of French origin, settled in Bari during the Middle Ages and transformed this building in the 18th century, giving it the baroque appearance we see today. Behind the façade, medieval remnants remain: arches, columns, and painted ceilings recall the building’s history, while a small private chapel and frescoes still testify to the aristocratic life of the past. But its uniqueness lies next to its entrance, just a few meters in front of you. Embedded in this façade, the edicola of the Madonna del Lume, the Virgin of Light, immediately catches the eye. The painting depicts a scene where everything unfolds simultaneously: below, a demon emerges from the flames, threatening a young man whom the Virgin pulls from the darkness with her right hand. The Child Jesus rests on her left arm, while an angel, to the right, holds out a basket filled with fiery hearts, symbolizing the souls of the faithful. At the top, cherubs are about to crown the Virgin. The history of this image is fascinating: it originated in Palermo in 1722 when a devout woman, in ecstasy, described an apparition of the Virgin to Jesuit Father Giovanni Antonio Genovesi. He validated the vision and entrusted the painting of the scene to Nicola De Filippis, a priest and painter from Triggiano, near Bari, who completed it between 1731 and 1740, faithfully following the description. Initially placed in the nearby Jesuit church, it was transferred here to the palace façade when the church was turned into a barracks after the suppression of the Society of Jesus in 1773. For more than two and a half centuries, the painting has watched over the street, another proof that Bari's heritage is directly displayed in its alleyways.