Mercogliano

Trait d’union between the capital Avellino and the main place of worship of Irpinia Montevergine, Mercogliano is the gateway to the Partenio Regional Park The village, after the Samnite wars, hosted a Roman colony that decided to keep the name Mercurianum unchanged, due to the cult of the God Mercury, and today, together with Avellino, Atripalda, Monteforte and Aiello del Sabato, it constitutes the urban system of Avellino. Mercogliano is divided into hamlets, two above all of extreme impo read more

Trait d’union between the capital Avellino and the main place of worship of Irpinia Montevergine, Mercogliano is the gateway to the Partenio Regional Park The village, after the Samnite wars, hosted a Roman colony that decided to keep the name Mercurianum unchanged, due to the cult of the God Mercury, and today, together with Avellino, Atripalda, Monteforte and Aiello del Sabato, it constitutes the urban system of Avellino. Mercogliano is divided into hamlets, two above all of extreme importance: that of Montevergine, seat of the homonymous Marian Sanctuary and with which it is connected through the homonymous Funicular, second in Europe for altitude difference with 64% slopes, and Capocastello, an ancient medieval village destroyed by a terrible fire in 1656 but still inhabited and full of charm like its door of the Saints, the only entrance to the castle that survived the time, and from which alleys and streets that touch the numerous churches erected between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries unravel . read less

Origin of name: The etymology of the name would seem to derive from the Latin term mercurianum which, according to some scholars, would indicate the presence in these places of possessions of the magistri mercuriales, that is, the "magistrates" who administered the cult of Mercury; the current name derives, in particular, from Castrum Mercuriani. The inhabitants are called Mercoglianesi. San Modestino, San Fiorentino and San Flaviano are their patrons.

The first settlements in the current territory of Mercogliano date back to Roman times: in fact, a Roman military column was found in the locality of Alvanella, evidence of a road axis that still connects Irpinia to Naples. Further proof of these residential nuclei is the strong cult towards the god Mercury, whose image, today, stands out on the civic coat of arms. The foundation of today's Mercogliano dates back, however, to the period of Lombard domination, when a colony of refugees from the read more

The first settlements in the current territory of Mercogliano date back to Roman times: in fact, a Roman military column was found in the locality of Alvanella, evidence of a road axis that still connects Irpinia to Naples. Further proof of these residential nuclei is the strong cult towards the god Mercury, whose image, today, stands out on the civic coat of arms. The foundation of today's Mercogliano dates back, however, to the period of Lombard domination, when a colony of refugees from the destroyed Abellinum settled on the hill where the city center stands today. Originally a hamlet of Avellino, it was mentioned for the first time in a document dated 982. With the construction of the Castle, which took place in the 1000s, Mercogliano acquired its own autonomy, under Enrico di Sarno, subfeudatory of the Count of Avellino Rainulfo. Later, Mercogliano was administered by Ruggiero Dell'Aquila, before being absorbed by the Abbey of Montevergine and finally returning to the feudal income of the Santa Casa dell'Annunziata in Naples. read less