Abbazie e Santuari in Basilicata

Built in the 19th century in honour of the Virgin, the sanctuary is about eight kilometres from Avigliano and is set in a landscape of rare beauty with views of Mount Vulture and the Monticchio Lakes.

Its origin is ancient and is linked to the history and vicissitudes of the people of Avigliano, according to which in 1694, first a terrible famine and then a violent earthquake disrupted the peaceful life of the Lucanian town.

The terrified inhabitants found shelter on the ‘Montagnola’, a small hill not far from the town. On that occasion, they made a vow to the Madonna that, if she saved them, they would elect her as their protector, buying a wooden statue and building a chapel on the spot where they had found refuge. The Madonna would listen to them and perform miracles, and they built the shrine, giving rise to great celebrations in her honour.

Since then, every 16 July, the statue of the Virgin is carried in procession from the town’s Mother Church to the chapel on ‘Monte Carmine’, and on the second Sunday in September, it is taken back to the town, where it spends the winter.