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Monte Saint Angelo

Monte Saint Angelo is the historical centre of the promontory of Gargano.
Arthur Miller, the American writer and playwright, has described it in one of his stories as "It was like a tiny old lady living on a high roof for fear of thieves."

Sanctuary in a cave

Here is the famous cavern in which there is the sanctuary dedicated to Saint Michael Archangel. In the darkness of a very ancient cave, the Angel of the Lord is said to have appeared with his flaming sword and left his footprint in the rock.
The Archangel Michael, the great defender of God, who flung into Hell proud Lucifer who wanted to be equal to God, emerges from this great struggle as the good giant that triumphed over the rebel devil.

The octagonal bell-tower

The tale of the apparition of the Angel in Gargano starts with the story of a rich farmer from Siponto, named Gargano, who, having lost his best bull finally found it grazing at the entrance of a cave. Angry at the bull the farmer shot an arrow which was miraculously deviated and ricocheted back to the offender wounding him in an eye.
The Bishop Lawrence, informed of the episode, ordered fasting and prayers for three successive days. And in a dream he had a vision of the Archangel, who commanded the bishop to have a sanctuary built in the cavern.

The Bronze Doors of the XIth Century

Saint Michael Archangel was the perfect saint to substitute the ancient pagan divinities, a "princeps magnus" of the angelic armies, vanquisher of the devil, victorious warrior of dragons, who was designated already by the Emperor Constantine as protector of his army.
The Longobards who invaded Gargano and were converted to Christianity substituted their god Wotan with the Archangel Michael and considered him protector of their armies.
His fame went beyond the boundaries of the region and to his sanctuary came an endless number of Pilgrims from all over Europe especially around the year 1000 A.D. and at the time of the Crusades. Traces of their passage have been left in some inscriptions with the names on the walls of the sanctuary. The Holy Road of the Longobards passed through here - it crossed San Severo and the valley of Stignano and then reached Monte Saint Angelo.

The annual feasts, celebrated on the 29th of September and on the 8th of May are the two occasions when Saint Michael is venerated and these feastdays coincide with the autumn and spring cycles, that is the beginning and the end of the agricultural year, sowing and harvesting. Besides, the two feasts coincide with the celebration of the Crowned Madonna of Foggia
The Holy warrior, head of the cavalry, conductor of armies, defender of the powerful, becomes also the saint of the farmers and of the shepherds who turn to him for protection of their health and that of their animals.

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