Santuario del Ss. Salvatore

In 1779, a long period of drought lasting six months afflicted almost all of Europe; in the Irpinian municipality of Montella, this led to a famine due to which its citizens went on a pilgrimage to the top of the mountain, where there was a chapel dedicated to the Savior. Since the path was inaccessible, on the 26th of May about 300 citizens of Montella went to the mountain to widen it. According to a legend, the ascent to the Sanctuary of the group from Montella led to a sudden increase of water in the cistern adjacent to the chapel. This caused heavy rain that ended the long period of drought. The group drew from the well a modest quantity of water sufficient to quench its thirst and which miraculously grew by another three palms.

The Sanctuary attracted the attention of the people from Montella after the events of 1779. After the extraordinary events of that year, in fact, the people, moved by the enthusiasm of Faith, decided to expand the ancient church and to establish the day of the Trinity, to celebrate those miraculous events. On the 30th of July a silver statue of the saviour was brought from Naples to Sorbo, a district of Montella. Then it was taken in a procession to the Collegiate Church, where it's still exposed to the veneration of the faithful today. In October of that year the construction works began on the new church, which ended completely in 1783. In the following years, the Sanctuary was decorated with stuccoes and equipped with a marble altar and an organ, both purchased in Naples.

Although the legend dates the building of the Sanctuary to 1779, there are some notarial acts that testify to the presence of a chapel already in 1500. The aforementioned acts mention:  “Sorgeva sur un monte a forma di cono, processo il Calore, e che veniva chiamata anche Santo Salvatore” . In any case, the structure underwent many changes after the events of 1779: in addition to the purchase of the altar and the organ mentioned previously (that no longer existing today but which, originally, was first connected behind the altar and then above the church entrance door), the church was expanded and was shaped as a Greek cross.

Provisional description