Cripta Medievale della Chiesa di S. Maria Assunta

The Medieval Crypt of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta is a historic underground room in Montemarano.

On the outside of the side aisles in the former cathedral, there are flights of steps leading to the Medieval Crypt, the historic heart of the whole church. Restored in 1984, the Crypt offers visitors a chance to see what the original building looked like. A place of spiritual contemplation, since his death in 1095 the Medieval Crypt has housed the remains of Saint John, Holy Bishop and Patron Saint of Montemarano, inside an urn below the marble altar. There are also two frescoes depicting Saint Nicholas of Bari and Saint John of Montemarano, both dating from the 12th century, a wooden bust depicting Saint John, and a 15th-century crucifix.

These elements in themselves give the Crypt a highly charged atmosphere, which is intensified further by the play of light and shadows within the room.