Ruderi della Chiesa di S. Maria della Consolazione

The Church of Santa Maria della Consolazione (Our Lady of Consolation) in Sant'Andrea di Conza is a place of historical interest, of which some ruins still survive today on Via Monastero.

The religious building was part of a monumental complex located in the highest part of the town, which also included the seminary, the Episcopal Palace, and the Convent of the Padri Francescani Riformati (Reformed Franciscan Fathers). The structure was built in 1607, according to reconstructions by the local author Pompeo Russoniello, and was run by the Franciscan Fathers, until it became state property, before being sold to private individuals in 1879. Since then, the damage caused by natural events and the passage of time, as well as the progressive abandonment of the building, have led to a slow and progressive decline.

Two stepped paths enabled access to the convent, whose interior included a kitchen with storage rooms on the ground floor and the dormitory on the first floor. Outside, there was a vegetable garden, a cloister, and a church dedicated to Santa Maria della Consolazione (Our Lady of Consolation). The religious building had a single nave, at the end of which, separated by a balustrade, was a wooden choir, which was transferred to the Church of the Purgatory; it also had six chapels with altars. The pronaos housed the "Calvario" - five wooden crosses commemorating the Crucifixion of Jesus, while above was the choir with an organ.

Showing clear signs of neglect and cataclysmic events in the more recent past, the Church of Santa Maria della Consolazione stands as a historical symbol of the local community today.