Michele Leondari was one of the fighters who died defending Otranto in the first days of the Ottoman siege. His name appears on the epigraph of the Church of Santa Maria dei Martiri on the Hill of Minerva and in the twenty medallions at the base of the Monument on the Lungomare degli Eroi.
He belonged to a noble family of Greek origin that moved to Otranto when Constantinople fell into the hands of Mehmed II, out of fear of an imminent conquest. It was precisely in Otranto, fighting against the long-standing enemies, that he met his death. The beautiful palace now known as Palazzo De’ Mori belonged to him and his family.
