Places of worship in Europe
THE SITE
The sanctuary of Monte Gargano (in Italian: Santuario di Monte Sant’Angelo sul Gargano), sometimes called simply Monte Gargano, is a Catholic sanctuary on Mount Gargano in Italy. It is located more precisely in the municipality of Monte Sant’Angelo in the province of Foggia, in Puglia.
The legend of the appearance of the Archangel in Gargano is described in the Roman Breviary of May 8, as well as in the Golden Legend (Legenda Aurea), a collection of Christian legends compiled by Jacques de Voragine between 1260 and 1275.
According to this legend, around the year 490, Archangel Michael appeared several times to the bishop of Sipontum near a cave, asking that the cave be dedicated to Christian worship and promising the protection of the nearby town of Sipontum pagan invaders. These are Michel’s first appearances in Western Europe.
