Monte Sant’Angelo is a beautiful small town in Southern Italy located on the southern slopes of Monte Gargano. It is in the Foggia Province and within a 30 minute drive from San Giovanni Rotondo.

Monte Sant’Angelo is home to the oldest shrine in Western Europe dedicated to Archangel Michael. According to tradition Saint Michael appeared to a local farmer at the entrance to a cave near the village of Mont Sant’Angelo in 490 AD. Later in 493AD, the angel once again appeared to the Bishop of the region and explained that the cave had been consecrated by himself and should be used for celebration of the Eucharist. The bishop then entered the cave, where he found an altar covered with a red cloth, a crystal cross and a footprint on the ground. The bishop thereupon commissioned a chapel to be built at the entrance to the cave. The church came to be known as the Celestial Basilica.

Throughout the centuries, numerous popes, saints and royalty have made pilgrimages to Monte Sant’Angelo, amongst them St Francis of Assisi, St Pio and St Bridget of Sweden.

What will I see when I visit:

• The Sanctuary of Saint Michael built in the 13th Century.
• The Celestial Basilica.
• Church of Santa Maria Maggiore.