Monte Sant'Angelo ( Foggiano: ) is a town and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' of

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

, southern Italy, in the

province of Foggia The province of Foggia (, ; Neapolitan language, Foggiano: ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Regions of Italy, Italian region Apulia. This province is also known as Daunia, after the Daunians, an Iapygians, Iapygian pre-Roman tribe livi ...

, on the southern slopes of

Monte Gargano Gargano () is a historical and geographical sub-region in the province of Foggia, Apulia, southeast Italy, consisting of a wide isolated mountain massif made of highland and several peaks and forming the backbone of a promontory projecting into ...

. It is one of

I Borghi più belli d'Italia () is a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest, that was founded in March 2001 on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities, with the a ...

("The most beautiful villages of Italy").

History

Monte Sant'Angelo as a town appeared only in the 11th century. Between 1081 and 1103 Monte Sant'Angelo was the capital of a large Norman dominion under the control of Count Henry, who was a vassal of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

. The grotto which houses the

Sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel The Sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel () is a Roman Catholic shrine on Mount Gargano, Italy, part of the commune of Monte Sant'Angelo, in the province of Foggia, northern Apulia. It has the dignity of a minor basilica. It is the oldest s ...

where, according to legend, St. Michael appeared in 490, 492 and 493, has been the site of many famous pilgrimages, which started from

Mont Saint-Michel Mont-Saint-Michel (; Norman: ''Mont Saint Miché''; ) is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France. The island lies approximately off France's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and is i ...

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

visited the sanctuary in 1987. In the 17th century the city became part of the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

, to which it belonged until the

unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century Political movement, political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, annexation of List of historic states of ...

in 1861.

Main sights

The most important attraction of Monte Sant'Angelo is the

Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo The Sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel () is a Roman Catholic shrine on Mount Gargano, Italy, part of the commune of Monte Sant'Angelo, in the province of Foggia, northern Apulia. It has the dignity of a minor basilica. It is the oldest s ...

, built in the 13th century by

Charles I of Anjou Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou or Charles d'Anjou, was King of Sicily from 1266 to 1285. He was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the House of Anjou-Sicily. Between 1246 a ...

. On June 25, 2011 the World Heritage Committee added the Sanctuary of San Michele Arcangelo in Monte Sant'Angelo to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Sanctuary is one of the seven groups of historic buildings included in the World Heritage Site " Longobards in Italy. Places of the power (568-774 A.D.)". Other sights in Monte Sant'Angelo include: *The Castle, with bastions of different ages. The most ancient part, called ''Torre dei Giganti'' ("Giants' Tower") is a pentagonal tower high, with walls thick. Its first recorded historical mention dates to 979. Later it was the residence of Rainulf I of Aversa and the

Robert Guiscard Robert Guiscard ( , ; – 17 July 1085), also referred to as Robert de Hauteville, was a Normans, Norman adventurer remembered for his Norman conquest of southern Italy, conquest of southern Italy and Sicily in the 11th century. Robert was born ...

, who built the Norman Tower and the Treasure Hall. Emperor Frederick II restored the construction to use it as residence for his mistress

Bianca Lancia Bianca Lancia d'Agliano (also called Beatrice, – ), was an Italian noblewoman.Frederick II (Holy Roman Emperor), ''De Arte Venardi Cum Avibus'', transl. & ed. Casey A Wood and F. Marjorie Fyfe, (Stanford University Press, 1961), 495. She was t ...

, while under the Angevins it was used mainly as prison. Later, from 1464 to 1485, the fortress was the residence of the exiled Albanian condottiero

Skanderbeg Gjergj Kastrioti (17 January 1468), commonly known as Skanderbeg, was an Albanians, Albanian Albanian nobility, feudal lord and military commander who led Skanderbeg's rebellion, a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in what is today Albania, ...

. The castle was largely rebuilt in the late 15th century by Ferdinand I. According to legend, the castle is home to the ghost of Bianca Lancia (popularly known as "Biancalancia"), whose sighs can be heard especially in the winter.Monte Santangelo – Il castello
/ref> *The Tomb of

Rothari Rothari (or Rothair) ( 606 – 652), of the house of Arodus, was king of the Lombards from 636 to 652; previously he had been duke of Brescia. He succeeded Arioald, who was an Arian like himself, and was one of the most energetic of Lombard ki ...

(Baptistry of San Giovanni in Tumba), a baptistery dating from the 12th century accessible from the 18th century church of St. Peter. The portal has notable reliefs depicting biblical events. *The church of ''Santa Maria Maggiore'' (11th and 12th centuries). The façade has blind arcades and a baldachin portal with sculpted frames. The interior has a nave and two aisles, divided by columns with sculpted capitals. The walls have Byzantine-style frescoes. * Pulsano Abbey, at from the city. It was built in 591 over a Pagan temple and was largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1646.

Economy

Monte Sant'Angelo's economy is still largely based on agriculture and livestock breeding. A certain tourist importance is related to the presence of the

Employment

The majority of the working population own farmland, raise

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

, run bakeries, restaurants, or stores. Often stores and businesses are family owned. The population of Monte Sant'Angelo remains relatively small due to lack of employment in town. Often, young people leave to find work elsewhere. Due to this the majority of the population is retired and elderly.

Transportation

Monte Sant'Angelo can be reached by road through the Foggia-Monte Sant'Angelo SP.55 provincial road. The SP.89 provincial road passes through the ''frazione'' of Macchia.

Climate

International relations

Monte Sant'Angelo is twinned with: *

San Michele Salentino San Michele Salentino is a ''comune'' in the province of Brindisi in Apulia, on the south-east Italian coast. Its main economic activities are the growing of olives and grapes. International relations San Michele Salentino is Twin towns and sis ...

, Italy (since 2007) *

Vallecorsa Vallecorsa is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Frosinone in the Italian region Lazio, located about southeast of Rome and about south of Frosinone, in the Monti Ausoni area. Economy is based on olive production. History The town ...

, Italy (since 2009) *

, France (since 2010) *

San Giovanni Rotondo San Giovanni Rotondo is the name of a town and ''comune'' in the province of Foggia and region of Apulia, in southern Italy. San Giovanni Rotondo was the home of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina from 28 July 1916 until his death on 23 September 1968. T ...

, Italy (since 2013) *

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

, Italy (since 2013) *

Assisi Assisi (, also ; ; from ; Central Italian: ''Ascesi'') is a town and comune of Italy in the Province of Perugia in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Monte Subasio. It is generally regarded as the birthplace of the Latin poet Prope ...

, Italy (since 2013) *

Andria Andria (; Barese: ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Apulia region of Southern Italy. It is an agricultural and service center, producing wine, olives and almonds. It is the fourth-largest municipality in the Apulia region (behind ...

, Italy (since 2013) *

Alberobello Alberobello (; literally "beautiful tree"; Bari dialect, Barese: ) is a small town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. It has 10,237 inhabitants (2022) and is famous for its unique ''trullo'' buildings. The ...

, Italy (since 2013)

References

External links

Official websiteNews ''Il giornale di monte''

montesantangelo.com
– City guide of Monte Sant'Angelo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monte Sant'angelo Cities and towns in Apulia Burial sites of the Harodingian dynasty Borghi più belli d'Italia

History

Main sights

Economy

Employment

Transportation

Climate

International relations

See also

References

External links