The sanctuary cave of St. Michael Archangel
On the Alburni, in the area of Sant’Angelo a Fasanella which already welcomed pilgrims heading to the Costa Palomba for the Antece in ancient times, there is a cave that was already frequented in prehistoric times.
There, in the XI century, a Benedictine center was formed, at the origin of the rock sanctuary dedicated to St. Michael Archangel, one of the most amazing places of worship in Campania.
It’s possible to enter the large cavity, so-called “Grotta dell’Angelo” (Angel cave), from a portal, embellished with sculptures of a lion and a lioness in archaic style placed at the base of the jambs. Inside, one immediately encounters the well and the tomb of the abbot Francesco Caracciolo, creator of many of operas in the church. To attract the eye is a high Gothic-style bookstall. Then, continuing inwards, in the deepest part of the cave, there is the chapel of the Immaculate on whose altar a fine seventeenth-century canvas is placed in a wooden frame. All around, fourteenth-century frescoes and sculptures stand out. The bottom of the cave is occupied by a sumptuous seventeenth-century altar commissioned by Caracciolo, like the rich pulpit. And on the altar, the revered statue of St. Michael the Archangel, focus of the annual celebrations in honor of the saint on September 29, when many go up to the rock sanctuary. A jewel set among the Alburni.
