Monte Sant'Angelo

The sanctuary of San Michele Arcangelo occupies a cave on the Gargano where apparitions of the archangel were reported from 490 onward; tradition holds that Michael consecrated it himself, so unlike other churches it was never formally consecrated by a bishop. Pilgrims have come since late antiquity, including Lombard kings, crusaders on their way east, and figures such as Francis of Assisi. A stair of about ninety steps descends from the town to the bronze doors of 1076, cast in Constantinople, and into the rock chamber. UNESCO listed it in 2011 among the Lombard sites. The town above is a warren of white lanes.

History

The grotto that holds the sanctuary of Saint Michael, where according to legend the archangel appeared in 490, 492 and 493, became the goal of famous pilgrimages, while the town itself appeared only in the 11th century; from 1081 to 1103 it was the capital of a large Norman lordship under Count Henry. In the 17th century it became part of the Kingdom of Naples, where it stayed until the unification of Italy in 1861, and Pope John Paul II visited the sanctuary in 1987 (Wikipedia, Monte Sant'Angelo).

Highlights

• The cave church - a sanctuary inside natural rock, never consecrated.
• The bronze doors - panels cast in Constantinople in 1076.
• The descending stair - about ninety steps from the town into the cave.
• The white town - stepped lanes and the Junno quarter above.

When to go

April to October; the sanctuary closes for a midday break and is busiest around the feast days in May and September. The Gargano road is winding.

Before you go

It is an active pilgrimage site with devotional priorities and periods of closure. The descent is many steps. The cave is cool and damp year-round.

Nearby

The Gargano forest lies north; the Tremiti islands are offshore.