Description
The Sanctuary of Maria Santissima del Monte, that is, the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is Campobasso's Marian sanctuary: a stone church on top of the hill, right opposite Castello Monforte, linked to the young Padre Pio.
The facade is in Vinchiaturo stone, with rough ashlar blocks laid irregularly. Inside are a fine altar in colored marble and frescoes by Amedeo Trivisonno and Leo Paglione.
The heart of the devotion is the statue of the Virgin, dated 1334. On May 31 it is carried in procession through the city's streets, decorated on the ground with sacred designs made of flowers.
To the right of the entrance, a small chapel of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina keeps objects that belonged to the saint, who lived in the convent next door between 1905 and 1909.
The church began as a family chapel dedicated to the Virgin, and is documented with certainty from 1354. It also served as a burial place for the families of the feudal lords. At the back, the apse fills a great tower of the old walls, all that remains of Porta Fredda.
The facade is in Vinchiaturo stone, with rough ashlar blocks laid irregularly. Inside are a fine altar in colored marble and frescoes by Amedeo Trivisonno and Leo Paglione.
The heart of the devotion is the statue of the Virgin, dated 1334. On May 31 it is carried in procession through the city's streets, decorated on the ground with sacred designs made of flowers.
To the right of the entrance, a small chapel of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina keeps objects that belonged to the saint, who lived in the convent next door between 1905 and 1909.
The church began as a family chapel dedicated to the Virgin, and is documented with certainty from 1354. It also served as a burial place for the families of the feudal lords. At the back, the apse fills a great tower of the old walls, all that remains of Porta Fredda.