The Abbey Palace of Loreto, also called "Loreto Abbey", is a place of historical-religious interest located in Mercogliano.
Located on a hill, but further downstream than the nearby Sanctuary of Montevergine, the building could take its name from a vegetable garden, called "Orrita", located in the locality of Vesta, or from the Latin terms laurum and lauretum, linked to the presence on the mountain of a laurel forest. The Palace, as well as the Sanctuary, see their history deeply linked to th read more
The Abbey Palace of Loreto, also called "Loreto Abbey", is a place of historical-religious interest located in Mercogliano.
Located on a hill, but further downstream than the nearby Sanctuary of Montevergine, the building could take its name from a vegetable garden, called "Orrita", located in the locality of Vesta, or from the Latin terms laurum and lauretum, linked to the presence on the mountain of a laurel forest. The Palace, as well as the Sanctuary, see their history deeply linked to the figure of San Guglielmo da Vercelli (1085-1142) who, having arrived on Mount Partenio as a hermit and gathered an ever-growing number of Christian ascetics, wanted it to be built first a Church dedicated to the Virgin and, subsequently, a place to guarantee an infirmary for the Congregation of Verginian Monks, on which St. William had imposed a hard diet, devoid of eggs, meat and dairy products. Severely damaged by the earthquake of 1732, the original building was replaced by the current Palazzo, built to a design by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro (1678-1745) and continued by the engineer Michelangelo Di Biase, upon the death of the Neapolitan artist and architect.
The Palazzo Abbaziale is characterized, on the outside, by an entrance with a frescoed vault, which allows access to the rooms on the ground floor, i.e. the concierge, the parlor and the pharmacy, active until 1901, in providing service not only to the monks, but also to the inhabitants of the nearby districts. From the atrium, on the other hand, two imposing staircases lead to the corridor on the first floor, where there are the 25 paintings of the Galleria degli Abati, depicting the Abbots of the Congregation, then to the chapter house. 44 doors follow one another, an eighteenth-century hall flanked by two noble apartments, and an annexed abbey apartment. Other noteworthy rooms include the Diocesan Archive and, above all, the State Library of Montevergine, which is counted among the eleven Italian libraries annexed to national monuments. In the Abbatial Palace of Loreto there is also the "Premiata Fabbrica di Liquori" of the Benedictine Fathers of Montevergine, where, together with other liqueurs, the famous Anthemis is born, obtained from a small fragrant flower present on Mount Partenio. Finally, the rooms of the Cellar hide a beekeeping for the production of the various types of honey recognized today as PAT of the Campania Region.
Unmissable artistic and historical attraction, with a peculiar octagonal shape, the Abbey Palace of Loreto is one of the most important art treasures of Irpinia, located in a unique landscape context. read less
