Monastery of the Benedictines, formerly a monastic complex known as St. John the Baptist, was built on the ancient early Christian church of St. Mary, aligned along today’s Via Spirito Santo, which coincided with the Roman Decumanus when the community boasted the name Natiolum. The monastic insula in its present consistence is the result of a series of expansions that took place starting in the 11th century with the enlargement of the first nucleus; during the 13th century there was a first expansion with the construction of the present cloister incorporating the Church of St. John the Baptist; the last and final expansion took place in the 16th century with the construction of the second and third floors determined by the need to set back the cells from the sea side due to the continuous incursions of the Turks after the taking of Otranto.
