Santuario dell'Addolorata

The Sanctuary of the Addolorata (Our Lady of Sorrows), also known as the "Abbey of San Gennaro” (Saint Januarius), is a place of worship located in Cervinara, in the hamlet of Ferrari.

Undoubtedly considered the most important religious building in the Municipality of Cervinara, the Sanctuary has ancient origins. Although it is not possible to reconstruct the exact historical period in which the Church was built, it was already mentioned for the first time in a document of 1047 and, since the early years of the second millennium, it reflected the deep-rooted cult of Saint Gennaro, whose remains were moved from the catacombs of Naples to the Cathedral of Benevento, presumably passing through the Caudina Valley. 
First elevated to "Abbey" in 1791 and then to "Collegiate Church" in 1872, on 21 November 1991 it became "Diocesan Sanctuary" for the equally strong cult of Our Lady of Sorrows, two years before her coronation on 1 September 1993.

Today, the Sanctuary of the Addolorata has a structure with nave and two aisles in modernised Romanesque style, with three entrance doors. 
Four of the five altars originally present in the building have survived, including the main altar dedicated to the patron saint of Cervinara, made of precious marble and consecrated twice by Cardinal Orsini, Archbishop of Benevento and future Pope Benedict XIII. The niche behind the main altar contains an artistic statue of the martyr, made of Carrara marble and blessed by Cardinal Orsini. The ceiling of the nave has a fresco painted in 1937, depicting Our Lady of Sorrows and, at her feet, the saints venerated in this church: Saint Januarius, Saint Alphonsus, Saint Roch, Saint Francis and Saint Rita. Finally, the side aisles have recently been carefully restored, revealing various frescoes covered by the slow and superficial post-earthquake restoration work.

The Sanctuary of the Addolorata is a sacred place so dear to the Cervinara community and is visited by a large number of believers, who go there to venerate and pay homage to the patron saint and to Our Lady of Sorrows, especially on their respective feast days and on Good Friday.