Churches and places of worship Gargano

Basilica with three naves that carries traces of continuous adaptations made over the centuries, all very far from the original Medieval structure.

One of the most fascinating and well-preserved churches in the town of Vieste. The church takes its name from the area, in fact it is located in Punta di S. Croce. The latter is built outside the rest of the medieval core.

So called because inside it is preserved the painting of the Madonna della Libera, donated in 1453 by the Venetians who tried to safeguard as many sacred paintings as possible against the invasions of the Saracens. .

Built in 1680, the Church of St. Nicholas was consecrated in 1827 by Archbishop Eustachius Dentice, who deposited above the high altar the relics of Saint Christopher and San Teodoro. Next to the church there is a bell tower more than 20 meters high, of three floors, whose construction took place in two different periods. Until the 17th century the church was used as a lookout tower and was part of the coastal defensive system.

The church of San Pietro, located in a charming square, is the oldest urban church. In ancient times it was part of a convent. Precisely for this reason architecture reflects its functional and historical characteristics. In front of the main entrance, the old cloister of the convent is still visible, incorporated into the houses.

On a hill immersed in the citrus oasis overlooking the entire beach of Levante, is the first Capuchin convent of the Gargano. Built in 1538 following the typical plan of the Capuchin monasteries, it also includes a church. The complex houses in its underground ancient tombs of ecclesiastics and lay people and has a small cloister of great architectural value. Here are preserved fine paintings and a precious bell melted in Venice in 1782.

The Abbey of Santa Calena is one of the oldest Italian abbeys. Built in the late 9th century, it became in medieval times one of the richest and most powerful abbeys in the south. The abbey presents architectural elements of Apulian, European and non-European schools. It is thought that this was an important reception center for pilgrims who in ancient times were heading to Monte dell'Angelo.

A masterpiece of the Benedictines first and the Lateran Canons then, built in 1045 at the point marked by a hermit (thanks to the apparition of Our Lady) such as the one in which to find the treasure of Diomedes. Perfected a few years later with Renaissance decorative motifs of Veneto-Tuscany origin, it is composed of three naves and inside are mainly found: the wooden cross representing the Christ suffering is the wooden statue of the Virgin and Child, of Byzantine inspiration; the wooden polyptych of the high altar and the well-known and admired Mosaic Floor.

The Sanctuary was dedicated to San Nazario, who stopped in the spring of thermal water right there where today the sanctuary is located, washing its feet and resting them on a marble stone. Currently, the stone is kept inside the Sanctuary, and is the reason for pilgrimage of many believers.