The patron saint of Nardò is Saint Gregory the Illuminator, celebrated on 20 February.
His devotion is preserved in the Cappellone di San Gregorio Armeno, a baroque work from 1680 by Placido Buffelli inside the cathedral basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, raised to the status of minor basilica in 1980. A fine silver bust of the saint, dated 1716, is now held in the Diocesan Museum of Nardò. On the upper crown of the town's façade his statues appear alongside those of Saint Michael the Archangel and Saint Anthony of Padua, historically venerated together with him as protectors of the town.
