History

In Puglia on the Monte-Gargano, the town of Monte Sant' Angelo contains the most famous shrine of the Latin Church dedicated to the Archangel Saint Michael. The origin of the shrine dates back to the end of the 5th and beginning of the 6th Centuries and relates to three apparitions involving Saint Michael.

This shrine has for centuries now been the destination of pilgrimages now located within the basilica in Monte Sant' Angelo.

The first settlements around the sacred place of the apparitions grew very quickly and spread to become a very special town, 'desired, as has been said, not by men, but by the mysterious will of God'.

Monte Sant' Angelo is named after the celestial Saint and is located 850 meters above sea level. The town is today the most important centre of the Gargano, with a noteworthy cultural heritage, which stems from many historical events and people who have lived and worked there. Folklore and tradition is extremely rich in the town from past centuries to the present day, maintained by the town's inhabitants through folklore groups and theatrical companies.

In the past, the town has been overtaken by many peoples, among whom were the Byzantines and the Longobards who actually chose Saint Michael as their Patron Saint. In the ninth Century, the town was destroyed by the Saracens who in turn were destroyed by the Carolingians who had also entrusted themselves to Saint Michael.

In 982, the town was once again overtaken by the Greeks. Afterwards the Norman's founded a principality which they named Monte Sant' Angelo for its importance. The Swabians came after the Normans, and Charles I of Anjous, great protector of the heavenly Basilica, supplanted the Swabians in turn. At the end of the fifteenth Century, after the Aragons, the territory became a feudal estate for three centuries of the Genovese family, the Grimaldis. From that moment began a political decline, but the shrine became always more famous and important in the religious field. There are also other significant monuments at Monte Sant' Angelo: the mediaeval baptistery, also known as the 'Tomb of the Rotari' various churches, the castle and also the old and characteristic Junno district. Eight kilometers outside town, set on a vast plateau, you can also find Santa Maria Abbey of Pulsano and the 'Congregation of Pulsano Hermits'.

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