Eremo di Gesù e Maria

The Hermitage of Jesus and Mary is a place of worship located in Baiano, at the highest point of the municipal territory.

Immersed in the silence of centuries-old olive groves, in a place narrated in an exemplary way by Virgil in his "Georgics", this religious building was destined, right from the start, to hermitage. This use is also evident in its architecture: both the chapel and the bell tower are connected with the living areas and the vegetable garden, the only source of subsidy, in addition to alms. There were several renovations: the first dating back to the 18th century by Saint Alphonsus Liguori, who visited it when he was in the nearby Nola in 1756. More recent restorations, finished in 2002, led to the completion of the hermitage, returned to the community in its great splendour. 

The chapel, with an almost rectangular shape, retains much of the original structure and has a simple geometric decoration on the walls, made with cornices and pilaster strips. Inside, there is a masonry altar with a semi-elliptical shape and the two ancient masonry side altars, completed by niches, are visible. Some wall writings testify to the custom of burying the priests of the Missionaries of Charity here. Today, the complex houses the hermit Sister Maria Costanza Crisafulli, custodian of the spaces and environments of the Hermitage. Her presence has given life and spirit back to a place to go for Eucharistic adoration and personal spiritual encounters.

The Hermitage of Jesus and Mary is a symbol of spirituality and faith for the entire community of Baiano.