Scalinata Francesco Zurlo

Lord of Pietragalla and Baron of Oppido Lucano, he was, together with Antonio Delli Falconi, one of the two captains to whom the King of Naples entrusted command of the military garrison of Otranto in 1480. In that year, an Ottoman army led by General Gedik Ahmet Pasha invaded the city, aiming to expand its dominion into Italy and threaten European Christendom, as ordered by Sultan Mehmed II.

During the fifteen days of siege, thanks to the joint action of Zurlo and Delli Falconi—together with those responsible for governing the city—a determined and resolute resistance was organized, despite the evident numerical and technological superiority of the Turkish forces.

Michele Laggetto, in his Historia delli Martiri, wrote that it was the people of Otranto who made “great entreaties to the two captains not to lose heart, but to remain steadfast and courageous.”

Both captains died in Otranto during the early stages of the siege, when the Ottomans managed to breach the fortifications. Their mortal remains are still preserved in the Church of Santa Caterina a Formiello in Naples.

After the fall of the city, about 800 citizens of Otranto, including many nobles and commanders, were beheaded by the Turks, becoming martyrs of Christianity. The massacre is remembered as one of the most dramatic and brutal events of Italian resistance against the Ottoman invasion. More broadly, the story of Otranto and its defenders is a significant episode in medieval Italian history, a powerful example of heroism and courage on the part of those who sought to defend their city and their faith at the cost of their lives.

In 2013, the 800 Martyrs of Otranto were canonized by Pope Francis.