250px, The Sanctuary of Montevergine. The Montevergine, also known as Partenio or Monti di Avella, is a

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

massif In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

, central

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, part of the Apennine chain. It is located near

Avellino Avellino () is a town and ''comune'', capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento. ...

, in the ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' of

Mercogliano Mercogliano is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy. Geography Mercogliano is a hill town located near the western suburb of Avellino and below the mount Partenio (or Montevergine). The municipality ...

. It has slopes covered by chestnut and

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engl ...

trees, up to some 1,480 m above sea level.

Overview

Under the peak, at some 1,270 m, is the Sanctuary of Montevergine, which attracts numerous pilgrims. It was consecrated in 1124 near the ruins of a temple of

Cybele Cybele ( ; Phrygian language, Phrygian: ''Matar Kubileya/Kubeleya'' "Kubileya/Kubeleya Mother", perhaps "Mountain Mother"; Lydian language, Lydian ''Kuvava''; el, Κυβέλη ''Kybele'', ''Kybebe'', ''Kybelis'') is an Anatolian mother godde ...

. The new basilica, built in 1961 by Florestano Di Fausto, is home to a 13th-century Byzantine icon of a

black Madonna The term ''Black Madonna'' or ''Black Virgin'' tends to refer to statues or paintings in Western Christendom of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus, where both figures are depicted with dark skin. The Black Madonna can be found both ...

. The abbey palace was designed by

Domenico Antonio Vaccaro Domenico Antonio Vaccaro (June 3, 1678 – June 13, 1745) was an Italian painter, sculptor and architect. He created many important sculptural and architectural projects in Naples. His later works are executed in an individualistic Rococo ...

, and has an octagonal plan. The Sanctuary is the cathedral of the

Territorial Abbey of Montevergine The Territorial Abbey of Montevergine ( la, Territorialis Abbatia Montisvirginis) is a Roman Catholic territorial abbey located in the commune of Montevergine in the ecclesiastical province of Benevento in Italy. About 1120 William of Verce ...

. The sanctuary can be reached from the town of Mercogliano by the

Montevergine funicular The Montevergine funicular ( it, Funicolare di Montevergine) is a funicular railway that connects the town of Mercogliano with the mountain and catholic sanctuary of Montevergine, in Campania, Italy. History The idea of linking the shrine ...

External links

Photo Gallery by Leonardo Bellotti
{{coord, 40.948611, N, 14.725, E, source:itwiki_region:IT_scale:10000_type:mountain, format=dms, display=title Mountains of Campania Apennine Mountains Province of Avellino Buildings and structures in Campania