The Sanctuary of San Gerardo Maiella is a place of worship dedicated to Santa Maria Mater Domini and San Gerardo. The oldest information about its existence dates back to the thirteenth century, when it was listed among the assets administered by the archdiocese of Conza under the title of Sancta Maria de Silere (Santa Maria del Sele). From 1527 this ancient title was changed to Sancta Maria Mater Domini, or "Mother of the Lord", and it was precisely in this period that the Sanctuary became a de read more
The Sanctuary of San Gerardo Maiella is a place of worship dedicated to Santa Maria Mater Domini and San Gerardo. The oldest information about its existence dates back to the thirteenth century, when it was listed among the assets administered by the archdiocese of Conza under the title of Sancta Maria de Silere (Santa Maria del Sele). From 1527 this ancient title was changed to Sancta Maria Mater Domini, or "Mother of the Lord", and it was precisely in this period that the Sanctuary became a destination for numerous pilgrims from the towns of the Sele Valley and the surrounding area. In 1754 San Gerardo was assigned to the Redemptorist Convent of Materdomini, where he died a year later. The love and devotion towards the Saint by the faithful were such that following his canonization in 1904, the Sanctuary was awarded the prestigious title of "minor basilica" by Pope Pius XI in 1930, thus assuming the name we know today. The Sanctuary of San Gerardo Maiella stands in the same place where, according to legend, Santa Maria, introducing herself as the Mater Domini, appeared on an elder tree to some farmers, from whom she asked and obtained that a chapel be built in her honor. In 1929 the place of worship was flanked by the Church of the Redeemer, built to accommodate the large flow of pilgrims who, every year, went to Materdomini as a sign of devotion to San Gerardo. Compared to its original neoclassical style, embellished with stained glass windows that reproduced the life of the Saint, the building today is no longer rich in friezes and frescoes, although it was rebuilt on the same plan as the previous one. Despite this, it is still one of the most beloved places of worship in Irpinia and attracts thousands of visitors every year. read less
