San Michele Abbey, Atella, Italy

The Abbey of San Michele is a Benedictine Abbey located at the foot of Monte Vulture, on the eastern flank of the Lago di Monticchio Piccolo.

The abbey was founded in the 10th century at the site of grottoes carved into a rock cliff. There is evidence of worship at the site from the 3rd to 4th century of the modern era. Veneration of St Michael Archangel was developed by the Italian-Greek monks at the site, who were then replaced by Benedictines, who erected the abbey, then abandoned it in 1456. it was occupied by the Capuchin friars. An 18th-century church was built at the site near the rock-cut chapel of San Michele.

User Reviews

Enza Grieci (2 years ago)
Truly very suggestive place. The museum of history and natural sciences located inside the abbey itself is interesting.

Mattia Riberti (2 years ago)
Beautiful sanctuary from which you have a spectacular view of both Monticchio volcanic lakes. Admission is free, the church is set in the rock of Mount Vulture, a truly evocative sight. To visit if you reach these areas of Basilicata.

Daniela Dambrosio (2 years ago)
Mystical place... characterized by silence and prayer. The ascent to the abbey can be done at a slow and concentrated pace and it is possible to stop occasionally at the side of the rock. We will return to meditate again ❤️

VAL MAR (2 years ago)
Enchanting place. Basilians, Benedictines and Franciscans tell over 1000 years of this place. Lovely lake view.

Caracol (3 years ago)
I really liked the beautiful abbey and the charming little church overlooking the lake and the wonderful light. The rock where the statue of the saint is is particular and deep. There is a small shop where you can buy souvenirs.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Christian Lauw

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The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.

The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.

The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.

San Michele Abbey

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