The Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Neve (Saint Mary of the Snow) of Bonito is located in Morroni, about 4 km away from the historic centre of the town.
It was erected by the will of the people in the place where, according to tradition, a female figure of the Madonna with a child in her arms appeared to some peasants in the 6th century. According to the story told for centuries, the oxen knelt down when this figure appeared, suspended in the air and accompanied by angels. A pagan temple once stood on the same site, on the remains of which a Christian temple dedicated to the Virgin Mary was erected, repeatedly devastated over the centuries, either by man or by earthquakes.
Other stories are linked to that Christian temple, now replaced by the modern construction of the Sanctuary, such as the one that says that Charles VIII, having haughtily entered the Church, remained a prisoner there with all his retinue for forty days, due to a sudden heavy snowfall in August, which ended and disappeared only when he repented. This is why the religious building was named after Our Lady of the Snow.
Further evidence of the strong devotion that characterises the Bonito community, the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Neve is the place where, on 4 and 5 August each year, religious celebrations are held in honour of the Madonna: an event that brings together not only the inhabitants of the hamlet of Morroni but the entire population of the Irpinian town.
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Open during the hours of religious services
Santuario di Maria SS. della Neve di Bonito
Via Morroni, 83032 Bonito AV, Italia
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