Seggio of the People

Where the representatives of the people gathered

The Seggio of the People was the place where the representatives of the people met for the most important administrative matters. Destroyed in the first half of the twentieth century, the Seggio of the People traverses the history of Barletta, being located near one of the most important monuments, the church of the Holy Sepulchre, and "guarded" by the imposing bronze statue of the 5th century, known as the Colossus.

Its reconstruction is traditionally linked to 1491, when the Colossus was restored.

The building had the shape of a pavilion next to the church of the Holy Sepulchre, closed on the sides and with a large pointed arch that opened onto the façade, which was infilled in a later period. Redecoration works date back to the 18th century while in 1799 the Seggio was turned into a guardhouse.

In the nineteenth century, a turret was erected above the roof with the clock that was located on the bell tower of the Holy Sepulchre.

The old photographs also show various coats of arms on the sides, one of which is Aragonese.