The Sassi (literally Stones) of Matera extend over two valleys and constitute a very particular urban agglomeration made up of natural caves that, over time, have been further excavated by man.
Caves and ravines have been used since the Neolithic as dwellings, shelters, natural refuges and places for worship. The use of caves for housing purposes continued during the Middle Ages right up to modern times'.
During the Middle Ages, small communities of lay people and monks from Armenia, Syria, Cappadocia and Asia Minor, persecuted in their lands, took refuge in these caves which became places for worship decorated with Byzantine frescoes. The area was enriched with oriental art and culture and further 'rock churches' were built.
In the area of Matera there are 155 and the expression 'rock art' reaches its peak.
In the period of time following the Second World War, almost twenty-thousand people still populated the Sassi. In 1952 the “Sassi Law” allocated funds for its complete restoration but it was such a hard task. Many writers have described how difficult it was to 'remove the inhabitants from the ravines they had lived in' for many generations.