The historic center of Fontanarosa, despite being well preserved. The original hamlets have maintained the old names of Dogana, Pozzo and Castello Vecchio, as well as the ancient streets continue to be named Avvisati, Bastione, Bianchi, Murillo and Murorotto. Wandering pleasantly through the historic center, it is possible to admire the beautiful stone portals of the 17th-18th century and several 16th-century loggias. The buildings of the historic center are characterized by the use of limestone read more
The historic center of Fontanarosa, despite being well preserved. The original hamlets have maintained the old names of Dogana, Pozzo and Castello Vecchio, as well as the ancient streets continue to be named Avvisati, Bastione, Bianchi, Murillo and Murorotto. Wandering pleasantly through the historic center, it is possible to admire the beautiful stone portals of the 17th-18th century and several 16th-century loggias. The buildings of the historic center are characterized by the use of limestone, extracted on site or in nearby quarries. The wide availability of this raw material has influenced, indeed, determined the overall architecture of the town, given that it is found practically everywhere. One of the main architectures of the ancient village of Fontanarosa is the Sanctuary of Maria Santissima della Misericordia, or "del Pozzo". The religious building was built, according to local tradition, following the discovery, near a well, of a miraculous statue of the Madonna, hidden to be protected from the insidious actions of the iconoclasts. Legend also tells that the Virgin appeared to a local shepherdess, guiding her towards the discovery of the statue and, consequently, towards the construction of the current Sanctuary, which has undergone various renovations and expansions over the centuries. Furthermore, it is the Marian cult in question that inspired the famous popular devotion of the straw cart, dating back to the 16th century: the tradition is linked to the offering of thanks that the farmers of the various districts paid, even before the 16th century, to the Madonna, on her feast day, loading sheaves of wheat onto their carts and giving rise to a real competition to decree the most beautiful cart. Today the Sanctuary has three naves, with six altars placed in the side aisles and a central one, the high altar, placed in the choir space. Each period of history has marked this place of worship with an artifact or decoration that gives a sense of pomp and magnificence. Of great importance in the religious building are the statue of Santa Maria della Misericordia, a singular sculpture belonging to the medieval period, and the beautiful stone portal that closes the current main entrance. There is also an original chapel from 1731, now a basilica that preserves a 17th-century colored and gilded wooden triptych, a gift from Prince Carlo Gesualdo, and a painting of the Virgin with child giving the lily to Saint Anthony, belonging to the school of Luca Giordano. Finally, inside the mystical cave dug at the back of the basilica, there is the famous well of the Madonna, from which it is possible to draw water that, by many, is considered miraculous. Another interesting building in the ancient village is the Church of San Nicola Maggiore. The religious building was built by order of the Norman governors around the 12th century, a period in which the cult of Saint Nicholas of Bari had already spread considerably among the local community. Over the centuries, the Church underwent numerous restoration works and, at times, actual reconstruction works, such as that which occurred in 1425. In 1731, Bishop Paolo Torti Rogadei made efforts to bring some radical changes to the Church of Saint Nicholas which, however, remained irrelevant, due to the earthquake that struck Irpinia in 1733. Subsequently, the stone floor and the canvas ceiling covering were created by the archpriest Nicola Petrone (1881-1973). Thanks to state subsidies and goods donated by the archpriest Don Davide D'Italia, after the Second World War the Church was transformed and embellished, until it assumed its current appearance. The Church of San Nicola Maggiore today has a three-nave plan, at the end of which is the dome. The splendid façade is divided into two orders: inside the first order, ending with a balcony, there are three imposing portals, while the second order is included in the upper part of the façade and is made up of columns, an entablature, a broken tympanum gable and a rear attic with sculptures. The church preserves inside several statues of saints and some plasters. Among the numerous works, there are “The Last Supper” by Alonso Rodriguez (1578-1648) and the “Madonna with Child” by Giuseppe Tomajoli (1730-1772). read less
