In a later phase, during the second half of the 10th century or the early 11th century, a small church was built over the cave, featuring a single nave with an apse, a double entrance, and preceded by an approximately square chamber. The foundational elements of this small church were identified in the first half of the nave of the current church. During the 11th century or the early 12th century, the monastery was expanded, and a new church was constructed, identical in plan but nearly double the size of the previous one, also featuring a single nave with an apse. The roof was made of a wooden gable. Additionally, some frescoes were created, of which only a few fragments remain today: in the apse, in particular, a Deesis and the Communion of Bread and Wine were painted. This phase also saw the creation of the access corridor to the cave, the arrangement of the large staircase descending to the bottom of the crypt, and the construction of the bell tower for defensive purposes.
Around the second half of the 10th century, St. Vitalis of Castronuovo resided in the cave for some time. At an unspecified date, a community of Italo-Greek monks was established there, which was likely placed under the authority of the Monastery of Saints Elias and Anastasius of Carbone by the early 1168: a privilege granted by William II in January 1168, in fact, assigned the archimandrite power over a vast territory—stretching from Salerno down to Melfi, following the Bradano River to Torre di Mare, descending to Roseto Capo Spulico, turning inland, reconnecting to the Tyrrhenian coast, and ascending back to Salerno—to the abbot of Carbone, Bartholomew.
Between 1291 and 1308, the monastery passed to the Benedictine Order.
At the beginning of the 15th century, possibly in 1417, the monastery was placed under commendam. In the 18th century, it became a royal patronage. According to a record of the royal patronage churches of Basilicata dated May 28, 1849, it was later aggregated to the seminary of Ischia.
**Description:** A wooden panel painting from 1532. The Archangel Michael is depicted within a large register framed by other panels. To the sides of the Archangel, St. Gregory the Great is shown on the right and St. Benedict on the left. Kneeling at the feet of the two patriarchs are two other figures, identifiable as Antonio Sanseverino and Ugo III Sanseverino, both wearing Benedictine habits. The predella of the polyptych depicts the Last Supper divided into three painted panels. Other registers feature images of St. Lucy and St. Donatus, as well as a scene of the Nativity of Jesus, while the pinnacle shows God the Father between two angels. A series of inscriptions, some within scrolls, identify the figures depicted in the polyptych. The work is attributed to Simone da Firenze. The polyptych was kept in the abbey church of St. Angelo until the monastery’s suppression (early 19th century), after which it was transferred to the parish church of St. Chiri.
**Date of use:** Between 1500 and 1550
**Image:** Painting
**Collection of ex-votos:** Data not available
The cave dedicated to the Archangel is attested as early as the 10th century. The oldest document confirming its existence is the life of the Siculo-Greek monk Vitalis of Castronuovo, which recounts that the saint, after founding the Monastery of St. Basil in Roseto Capo Spulico, reached Mount Raparo, where he came upon a cave dedicated to the Angel (*AA.SS., Mart. II, 28*). St. Vitalis resided there for some time, dedicating himself to ascetic practices. Later, the saint traveled to the area between Turri and Armento, where he met St. Luke of Armento. All this likely occurred before 984, the year commonly associated with St. Luke’s death. Popular devotion persisted until the 19th century. The decline of the cult likely coincided with the increasing abandonment and deterioration of the structure, already evident by the early 20th century.
Historically, a large fair was held during the feast day.
Between 1291 and 1308, the monastery attached to the sanctuary passed to the Benedictine Order until, in the early 15th century, it was placed under commendam.
A document from 1255, concerning the election of the new abbot Romano, states that the abbey was directly subject to the Church of Rome.
85030 San Chirico Raparo PZ, Italy