Chiesa di San Giacomo Apostolo

The Church of San Giacomo Apostolo (Saint James the Apostle) is located in the square named after it, in Sant'Angelo a Scala.

The Church dates back to 1375, when it was part of the Monastery of Montevergine. However, its monastic history was short, due to a series of conflicts with the local barons which led to the monastery's closure. The Church, originally named after Saint Sylvester Pope and Saint Mark the Evangelist, remained open, and later took on its current name. Following the earthquake of 23 November 1980, the Church was restored to its former splendour.

Today, the Church has a simple, linear façade which is notable for its finely-worked stone portal surmounted by a central window. The façade is flanked by a bell tower, which is associated with a local tradition known as the “Bell tower fire”. The interior of the Church has a rectangular floor plan. Two aisles were added to the original central nave and there are eight chapels, altars and tribunes opening onto the central nave. At the end of the nave is the high altar made from varicoloured marble, housing the relics of Saint Sylvester. Atop the altar is the Statue of the Crowned Mary, attributed to the sculptor Giovanni Merlano from Nola. In the left-hand aisle is a recently-restored wooden statue of the patron saint Saint Michael the Archangel, and the Chapel of Saint Sylvester. The Chapel contains many fine works of art including a statue, a gold monstrance containing a reliquary, a floor painting and finally the 100-day Indulgence granted to the congregation by Pope Pius IX on 30 August 1870.

A site of great historical, artistic and spiritual value for the whole of the local community, the illustrious past of the Church of San Giacomo Apostolo means that it is still known as the “Abbey” among the townspeople.