Saint Orontius saves Lecce from the earthquake - Basilica of Santa Croce

The painting depicts the people of Lecce invoking and thanking Saint Orontius for having saved them from the terrible earthquake that had struck on February 23, 1743.
This unique canvas is a genuine evidence of the popular devotion and displays a dedicatory inscription in the local dialect: a real rarity in the ecclesiastical world where, in those days, Latin was the official language.