Collegiata di San Giovanni Battista di Carife

The Church of San Giovanni Battista (Saint John the Baptist) stands in the historic centre of Carife and was declared Collegiate by Pope Leo X and "Collegiata Insigne" (Distinguished Collegiate) by Pope Benedict XIV.

The Church has medieval origins and its reconstruction is linked to the numerous earthquakes that have affected Irpinia over the centuries. The earthquake of 1694, first, and then that of 1732, in fact seriously affected the religious building; in particular, the second one, which caused many deaths in Carife, destroyed the Collegiate Church, which was reopened for worship in 1754, as testified by the coat of arms on the Baroque portal made of stone bearing the inscription "A.D. MDCCLIV", 1754.

The plan of the Collegiate Church of San Giovanni Battista in Carife is a Latin cross, the interior has a single nave and is in Baroque style; a design that seems to be attributable to the Neapolitan school, or rather to students of the famous architect and painter Luigi Vanvitelli. The interior was designed by Domenico Vaccaro and contains a splendid Spanish reliquary preserving the relic of the Holy Wood of the Cross from Jerusalem, to which the Carife people are extremely devoted. 

The sacred furnishings are completed by a pulpit and a wooden confessional, some paintings, a fresco representing "The Triumph of Faith" that can be admired under the vault, the statue of Our Lady of Graces and the parapet of the organ that came from the Convent of San Francesco (Saint Francis). The Parish Books, registers of baptisms, marriages and deaths, which are intact and represent a real treasure trove of information on the history of a very devout community, are also particularly interesting.

Rich in art and history, the Collegiate Church of San Giovanni Battista in Carife is thus a place of prayer very dear to the community of Carife.