Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi
Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi (AV)
Hidden gemVillages
The story
At 19:34 on 23 November 1980 the earth split open here and the town became the symbol of a national wound. Today the risen borgo (old village) lives alongside its empty spaces, and the Castello Imperiale watches over a square that has learned how to begin again.
Access
FREE, always
The story
Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi is, first of all, a name that Italy learned on the evening of 23 November 1980. It was the epicentre of the Irpinia earthquake and the town with the greatest number of victims: 482. At 7:34 p.m. the first shock caught the community on an ordinary evening — a wing of the hospital collapsed, the building that housed twenty-five families collapsed, and the young mayor Guglielmo Castellano also died, at only 32. But Sant'Angelo has a long history that the quake did not erase: founded by the Lombards, an episcopal seat at the will of Gregory VII, for centuries the administrative heart of Upper Irpinia. And it had the strength to start again: two days after the quake, under a tent, a young teacher, Rosanna Repole, was appointed mayor and led the rescue and reconstruction. The town has been rebuilt, and remains today a living centre of the area.
What to see
The Cathedral of Sant'Antonino martyr, built by the Normans in the twelfth century and soon elevated to a cathedral, is the symbol-monument: a basilica plan, a Romanesque portal with the statues of Christ, Saint Michael and Sant'Antonino, a towered bell tower. Just outside the town stands the abbey of the Goleto, one of the great monastic complexes of Irpinia. The centre, rebuilt after 1980, is today that of a hill town that chose to stay.
How to get there
- Hydrofoil
- Ferry
Hours and prices
Free entry.
Tips
Sant'Angelo is reached by car, in inland Upper Irpinia. Combine the visit with the abbey of the Goleto, a few minutes away. It is a place where the memory of the earthquake coexists with today's daily life: cross it with this respect. A good base for the tour of the villages of Upper Irpinia.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi tied to the 1980 earthquake?
It was the epicentre and the town with the greatest number of victims, 482. The centre was then rebuilt and remains a point of reference of Upper Irpinia.
What is there to see at Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi?
The Cathedral of Sant'Antonino martyr, a Norman cathedral of the twelfth century with a Romanesque portal, and, just outside, the abbey of the Goleto.
Was Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi an episcopal seat?
Yes, it became an episcopal seat at the will of Pope Gregory VII, and its cathedral was elevated to a cathedral.
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