According to the legend of Ruggiero, Bishop of Avellino from 1219 to 1231, the body of St. Hippolistus, martyred around 304 AD. during the persecution of Diocletian, it was lovingly buried by the matrons Maximilla and Lucrezia in an underground place (spelunca) in the area of the pagan necropolis of ancient Abellinum.
In the same place the 20 Holy Martyrs were buried who between 304 and 313, the year of the edict of Constantine, sealed their Christian testimony with their blood. Later many Ch read more
According to the legend of Ruggiero, Bishop of Avellino from 1219 to 1231, the body of St. Hippolistus, martyred around 304 AD. during the persecution of Diocletian, it was lovingly buried by the matrons Maximilla and Lucrezia in an underground place (spelunca) in the area of the pagan necropolis of ancient Abellinum.
In the same place the 20 Holy Martyrs were buried who between 304 and 313, the year of the edict of Constantine, sealed their Christian testimony with their blood. Later many Christians asked to be buried near the Holy Martyrs (“cum sanctis or prope sanctis”).
In that place, in the 6th century, Bishop Sabino and his faithful deacon Romulus were also buried. For the burial of San Sabino, a pagan sarcophagus in limestone from the 2nd/3rd century was reused, the front face of which probably bore scenes from the life of the deceased carved in bas-relief and flanked by two winged griffins. The sarcophagus was turned over and the eulogy of the Saint was engraved on the back face (now the front). On the tomb of the Holy Martyrs, Christians began to celebrate the Eucharist and the cave became a small basilica. In it, composed as Cassese says in the monograph “The Specus Martyrum of Atripalda” (Avellino – Tipografia Pergola 1930), “from the current area of the martyrs, one could see on the right, built into the wall, the sarcophagus of S. Sabino; then, on the left, the other of San Romolo. indications, in the act of being crowned by the one "(o.c. page 4).
The Specus underwent modifications over the centuries. In 1629 it was enlarged, embellished with stuccos and paintings and a second access staircase was built. In 1728, adjacent to the Specus, the so-called Treasure Chapel was built, beautifully frescoed by Michele Ricciardi to house the relics of St. Ippolistus and his fellow martyrs. In the years 1888-1891 the Specus was restored by Baron Di Donato who also had the chapel of S. Romolo built similar to that of San Sabino. The area that had kept the mortal remains of the martyrs was fenced off with an iron railing, the floor was paved with selected marbles, the fresco of the martyrdom of St. Hippolistus was detached and placed on the wall adjacent to the chapel of the treasury, while the relics of the holy martyrs were placed in four splendid gilded brass urns in the shape of a small temple.
The disastrous earthquake in Irpinia and Basilicata on November 23, 1980 reduced not only the Upper Temple but also the Specus to pitiful conditions. Slow, patient and tiring was the restoration work by the Superintendency of the BAAS of Salerno and Avellino, carried out by the Pouchain firm for the tectonic arts side and by the Tribuzio firm for the artistic side under the guidance of the architects of the Superintendence Antonio Giovannucci and Giuseppe Muollo. The frescoes by Ricciardi in the chapel of the Treasury have been cleaned up, giving splendor to the coronation and glorification of the Virgin Mary among a riot of angels and saints who have a particular reference to the city of Atripalda read less
