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This small town has a great history tied to large movements
Political - Religious international since the founding of the Church.
In an interesting relationship between history and legend, the vicissitudes of Goths, Byzantines and weave French Napoleonic is to make Santomenna a center of incredible historical, artistic and environmental.
>From his Egyptian patron until today Santomenna not ever tire of enchantment with its history, search in the archives and historical details of the finds, in a ceaseless fight against time el'inclemenza of nature.
The "Festival of the dishes poor" remains one of the most authentic and genuine, ideal to capture the spirit that still prevails among these people.
The village of Santomenna, lying 540 meters above sea level, bordering the province of Salerno, is placed in a mountainous landscape of major charm.

As often happens, look for some historical references to small towns is always very difficult, in the case of Santomenna, including natural events such as last and destructive earthquake of 1980, have further made difficult work of historiographical research.

An inscription, placed sull'architrave one of the entrances of Episcopio destroyed, recalled that the village had belonged to the Benedictines.
>From this figure is possible to reconstruct backward what is the origin of the place and reason of its own name.

We must trace back to the sixth century of the Christian era, when the Byzantines returns Italy, ripping the Goths.
In their advance, victorious, towards the last strongholds of 'barbarians' have a whole series of long-strand of access roads and thus escape, particularly comps (Conza of Campania), last stronghold in the south of gota' Italy, before the final defeat.
A simple camp, but with a particularity: to be implanted by coming from the troops, namely those in which land was alive the Egyptian cult of the martyr St. Menas.
So that live around him flourished a variety of legends, the most popular of which it wanted Egyptian origin, martyred in Phrygia, reported in Egypt and buried in the place where he was then raised a grand sanctuary: Mareotis (forty kilometers from today Alexandria).
The cult of this saint - in addition to the pilgrimage - takes in small ampoules of terracotta, the content of which was attributed significant miracles and propitiatory.

Probably the cult of San Menna was fueled by the presence on the territory of several water sources reminded that the miracle in the North African desert that, near the place of burial of the martyr, flow inexplicably numerous sources of water from miraculous.

Since the sixth century onward, however, does not have certain information, but those that can be found in the Great History.
Rome, passed the first impact with the Lombards, began the work of "colonization" of the lands that they felt closer to the Church of the East not to the Chair of Peter, in particular the Puglia and Lucania.

And to facilitate the company was served an ally exceptional Montecassino and all its dependencies: or rather, the Benedictine monks that piece-meal were sent to take the place of the Basilian monks who withdrew.

The Benedictines received as a gift from conquerors large extensions of land, sparsely populated, with the inevitable church dedicated to the beloved saint of the place. Just around the monks, seeking employment, but also protection, gathered sharecroppers, craftsmen, laborers, servants.
The new settlement is formed so that took the name of the saint venerated there.

Thus was born nell'860 D.C. Santomenna. Ughelli historian wrote: "The feud San Menna joined at the table Archbishop stems from a former Benedictine monastery located in a high place where they live today Cappucini the Fathers, in whose cloister there is still the emblem of the Benedictines. Subsequently, because events of war, the monastery went desert, so, on behalf of the Holy See, took possession of the archbishop Conza, for which it is assumed that from time immemorial the ecclesiastical jurisdiction is combined with the temporal domain. L ' original monastery called San Benedetto. "

Thus the Church consolidated its power across the Upper Valley Sele el'Alta Valley dell'Ofanto found themselves joined in the vast constituency of the Archdiocese of Conza of Irpini situation lasted until 1921.

The tormented orography of places, made sure that from the XV century, the various successive Archbishops conzana the Chair, choose to stay in S. Andrea di Conza or Santomenna, depending on whether or needs. So that the vast ecclesiastical always had two 'capitals': one for the Irpinia and one for the Valle del Sele.
So feud priest, saw Santomenna soon arise between the huts the imposing building bishop, as improved and expanded in later centuries.
Around it found safe haven to escaped the barbarian invasions.
Since the sixth century, in time Longobarda, the territory of the Valle del Sele, which rises Santomenna, remained attached to the Duchy of Benevento, until the mid-ninth century it was broken up into three principalities: those of Benevento, Salerno and Capua.
Thus the Principality Citra, including the territory of Salerno and all countries adagiati on the right and left of Sele were prosecuted there for about ten centuries.

A partial change occurred at the time of Napoleon, when Joachim Murat reduced the provinces of the kingdom Neapolitan to 14 and each of these was divided into several districts including generally more common.

The principality of Citra was split in the districts of Salerno, Pathhead, Vallo della Lucania and Countryside, each comprising, in turn, various arrondissements, including the Santomenna and Laviano.
The unification of Italy in 1861, left the towns of the Sele as Santomenna were administratively separate from the right side of Sele.


Places to See
* Ruins of the Capuchin convent - on a plateau overlooking the town -. Among the remains of the building, specifically in what remains of the chapel of St. Vito, you can still admire the sarcophagus of a distinguished Archbishop of Conza, Hercules Rangone, died in the seminar Santomenna, an epitaph reads: "LUSTRA Decem POST Octo IACENT A CANTEENS Secunda Seculo RANGONIS PRESULIS BONES NECE."
* Old ecclesiastical courts and prisons.
* Museo del Sacro; Some local Cathedral Church of St. Maria delle Grazie housing a small museum, where it is possible to admire some remains and other artistic sacred, clear example of the rich cultural heritage - artistic and architectural - in this Santomenna sadly missed by the earthquake of 1980.
Church St. Maria delle Grazie
Dates, almost certainly - though with different plant map - the fourteenth century.
The earthquake of 1561 made the essential works of restoration of the church.
The Hercules Rangone bishop in 1647 enriched the church with the typical Baroque style: stucco ornamental, decorative paintings on the ceiling to incannucciata, extending the apse area.
Around 1650 the archbishop Campana made further renovations aimed at improving the system of covers and their ceilings. Only in 1917 is the great dome that characterize the view of Santomenna.
Partially restored in'79, suffered serious damage from the earthquake of 1980. In the nineties has been rebuilt and returned to the cult in May 2001.
Upcoming is the location of the ceiling paintings made by Miglionico - painter of the'600 beloved by the bishops of Conza - recently restored.

* Church of the Congregation of the Immaculate Conception
In the mid'500 Bishop Ambrose Polito spread in the diocese worship controriformistico Conception of Mary was probably at that time the foundation of brotherhood dedicated to the Virgin.
The rich archival documents, cataloged and kept in a cabinet of the palace de Ruggeri, includes a manuscript that outlines the rules of the congregation dated 1777.
Already in 1730 the confraternity had obtained the papal blessing, a sign that the creation of pious association proceeded far with that of the Statute between members include the names of De Ruggeri, Figurelli, Zuccari, Rosamilia, belonging to noble families, but were brothers also accepted other social classes.
In 1874 the old rules were reformed in 1931 the confraternity, as it raised exclusively for worship, passed in the service of ecclesiastical authority.
The church, located in your which extends to Castelnuovo di Conza was erected in early'700 and brought to completion until 1730, perhaps for lack of funds.
The building consists of a single aisle, done by un'abside richly decorated in relief, surmounted by a canopy governed by angels.
The altar, made of local stone, dated 1739, was built for the devotion of "Doctor in Utroque Peter Zoppi of Santomenna."
The imposing "Telerate" a tempera painting, from documents found to be purchased by the "Painter of Carmine Carbutti Santomenna" in 1779.
In the central medallion, richly decorated with fitomorfi grounds depicts the Immaculate Virgin, descent from heaven to earth to carry out his work of intercession. At the foot of biblical characters include: Judith holding the head of Holofernes trunk, in Eva to take the apple from the mouth of the snake.
The architectural element on which implants the entire composition consists of three steps on which they are affixed various inscriptions, including legible are the following: "GLORIA JERUSALEM / IPSA CONTERET CAPUT tuum / HEVA OBFUIT / MARIA PROFUIT."
The traditional iconography shows the Immaculate usually surrounded by symbols of the biblical Song of Songs, compared to the sun: in this case the biblical metaphors are replaced by Judith and Eve, female characters who act as counterpoint to the figure of the Virgin "sine macula" Contributing all'esaltazione Marian virtues.
The painting refers to large decorative ceiling dell'Abate Michael Ricciardi (1672 - 1753), a native of Penta, whose business spans over a vast territory ranging from the High Valley dell'Irno Irpinia.
The Church is also particularly rich in wooden handicrafts, to a stucco reliefs and stone elements. Particularly interesting is the choir eighteenth carved in wood.

The Miracle of San Gerardo
The episode miracle happened when the now-famous St. Gerardo had crossed all limits; his superiors to adhere to the pressing demands of poor people to confer an horse with which to move quickly.
I grilled the hooves of the horse had often need to be replaced. Gerardo occasionally went to Santomenna to visit the uncle. Along the road to reach the monastery was maniscalco and a one day, going from there he thought of advantage for iron horse.

It 'important to note that the episode is given two versions: the first is the official hagiography, the other is passed by the descendants of the farrier, taking into account the stature of the saint, it seems more logical and convincing.
The farrier iron horse and thinking that the friar was an inexperienced stranger thought to take advantage of asking for a price far higher than real. The Friar in the face of patently unfair request before the redarguì harshly, then, given the insistence of the farrier in his unhealthy request addressed to the horse said: "Restituiscigli the irons." The animal raising, one after another, all four hooves, made them fall to earth. The farrier repentant and stunned dell'insolito event offered to restore them without even receive a penny. The Brother, despite the insistent reminders of the farrier, undeterred continued the journey without turn.
The descendants of maniscalco tell, however, that it was in August, the farrier, very upset by tafani that infest Santomenna summer, we did miss some blasphemy. The saint who would not ever tolerated his presence, and also because he felt almost guilty for having FERRARE the horse, went on all furie; as maniscalco the not desist, preferred, rather than continue to listen to the horrible blasphemies No more FERRARE the horse and return the two irons fixed. The rest agrees with what was reported by biographers, the farrier from that day, struck by the extraordinary event stopped the blaspheme and his family became one of the most religious families and to devote Santomenna.
Today in front of the ancient forge was maniscalco placed a plaque in memory of the miraculous event, very kind and availability of family descendant, you can also enter.
The visit to the tiny and ancient, certainly suggestive and exciting for the devotional aspect, is also of great cultural enrichment-anthropological: you can admire the old systems of working iron that, as with other ancient crafts, often took place in the same places other rural activities of the family, to confirm this, inside there are the remains of a small hospital to "grow the pig," of vital importance in culture.

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