Chiesa della SS. Annunziata di Quadrelle

The Church of the Santissima Annunziata (Most Holy Annunciation) di Quadrelle is situated in Corso Umberto I, in the historic centre of Quadrelle.

The story of this church begins in 1629 when the University of Quadrelle - until 1511 a fief of the Abbey of Montevergine and then a dependency of the Ave Gratia Plena of Naples - asked to form a parish independent from Mugnano del Cardinale. After gaining its independence, during the 18th century the Church experienced the peak of its glory, at the time of the formation of the “Terra di Quadrelle”: the title with which this Irpinian town was fully recognised as an independent municipality.

Today, the parish church has retained the late 18th-century Baroque style. Its façade, plastered in pale yellow, is simple and understated, with linear grey pilasters and four small windows. A tall bell tower stands alongside the Church, which has a single nave and a marble high altar surmounted by an artistic wooden altarpiece made between the late 15th and early 16th century: it is of the Umbrian school, depicting the Annunciation and was originally part of a polyptych. The interior of the Church also contains other valuable artworks including a 16th-century marble tabernacle by Girolamo Santacroce (1502-5037), with bas-reliefs depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments; the coats of arms of the Abbey of Montevergine and of the Casa dell’Annunziata of Naples and a series of 18th-century paintings among which is the “Dormition of Saint Joseph”, dated 1713.

As a symbol of deep faith, the Church of the Annunciation is still a focal point for the local community during the celebration of religious rituals and traditions.