It is the mother church of Forio. Heart of the cult in honor of the town's patron saint San Vito martyr, elevated to pontifical basilica on 28 July 1989. The largest church in the diocese of Ischia, with which it shares a thousand-year history.
It was around the year 1000, in fact, that the inhabitants of Forio built a new sacred building at their own expense in an elevated place away from the sea, probably to protect it from frequent Saracen attacks. That first church, over time, had fallen into a state of decay which was put to an end by a restoration intervention always supported by the citizens. By virtue of their role, the citizens considered themselves owners of the church and in 1306 they addressed the request to Bishop Pietro to elevate it to a parish and to grant them the right of patronage, so that they could appoint the parish priest. It is in that instance that the church of San Vito is mentioned for the first time.
In the 15th century the structure was enlarged and various embellishments were introduced. A new version of the church would arrive in the 18th century, when, between 1730 and 1750, it was rebuilt at the expense of the University of Forio. To complete the façade we had to wait until the second half of the 19th century.
Two bell towers were placed on the sides of the façade: one for the bells, the largest of which was given as a gift in 1854 by King Ferdinand II, the second bears a clock. Another characteristic element is the majolica panel depicting San Vito, located above the entrance portal.
The church has a Latin cross plan and is divided into three naves. Of notable impact are the stucco decorations, typical of the prevailing Baroque, created in the second half of the eighteenth century by Francesco Starace. There are numerous pictorial works of art by renowned Neapolitan artists. The altarpiece of the main altar by Alfonso Di Spigna, dated 1745, depicts San Vito and the Madonna. The island painter is also the author of the Pietà of 1741, while the Sant'Anna is the work of Anna Maria Manecchia. There is no shortage of works by the Forian painter Cesare Calise.
In the right nave, immediately after the entrance, there is a valuable triptych by Decio Tramontano, dating back to 1560, with San Vito, the Madonna delle Grazie and Santa Caterina d'Alessandria. The Crucifixion is depicted in a lunette.
The most important work of art kept in the church is the silver and gilded copper statue of San Vito. It was made in Naples by the goldsmiths Giuseppe and Gennaro Del Giudice in 1787, but the sketch was designed by the great Giuseppe Sanmartino, the author of the very famous "Veiled Christ". A work as prestigious as it was expensive, which was financed by the University of Forio even with a tax on wine consumed by private individuals: truly the best for a territory that is a strong producer and consumer of wine.
The ancient library of the church is also very rich. Thousands of volumes are collected there, many of which come from the library of the Convent of San Francesco when it was suppressed in 1866 with the transfer to state ownership of all the connected ecclesiastical assets. Along with the books, precious incunabula, various sixteenth-century publications and other rare publications are also kept.
