Sanctuary of Beato Antonio (Amandola)

The history of the Sanctuary of Beato Antonio

The Augustinians settled at the foot of the Marrubbione hill in 1301. From the original hermitage, thanks to private bequests and subsidies, the convent, the cloister and the church developed. The prior Antonio Migliorati, born in Amandola on January 17, 1355 and died on January 25, 1450, enlarged it in the early 15th century.

In the 15th century Pietro Lombardo completed the bell tower. In 1468 Marino di Marco Cedrino made the portal. Baroque decoration arrived in the early 17th century, with frescoes by Domenico Malpiedi. Between 1758 and 1782 the architect Pietro Maggi extended the building toward the square and redesigned the façade in Neoclassical style. Antonio was beatified on July 11, 1759 by Pope Clement XIII. In 1798 French troops desecrated his sarcophagus.

What to see in the Sanctuary of Beato Antonio

The portal is decorated with vine tendrils, putti blowing trumpets and the figures of Saint Augustine and Saint Monica. Higher up are a lion and a leopard. Some shoemaker's tools suggest that the portal was probably commissioned by a member of the shoemakers' guild.

The interior has a single nave, with a short transept and an octagonal lantern tower. Francesco Ferranti frescoed the apse and the side altars in the early 20th century. Orazio Orazi painted the miracles of the Blessed in the apse, including the rescue of a bricklayer who fell from the tower while it was being built. The furnishings include a terracotta Pietà from the early 15th century and the remains of a 15th-century wooden choir. The marble sarcophagus, carved by Giovanni Lugari in 1897, is associated with the chapel of the Blessed.

How to visit the Sanctuary of Beato Antonio

Before visiting, check whether the sanctuary is open. The church was damaged by the 2016 earthquake. In 2021 a reconstruction project of about 1.4 million euros was planned for the church of the Beato Antonio. Before setting out, it is therefore best to ask the Comune (town hall) of Amandola. The Blessed is remembered with a novena from January 17 to 25 and with the patron saint's feast at the end of August.

Where the Sanctuary of Beato Antonio is located

The sanctuary is in the historic center of Amandola, on Piazza Risorgimento. Amandola lies in the upper Tenna valley, at about 550 m above sea level in its highest part. It is about 10 km from the summit of Monte Castel Manardo (1,917 m), in the Sibillini Mountains.

Around the Sanctuary of Beato Antonio

In Piazza Alta, that is Piazza Umberto I, stand the medieval Palazzo del Podestà and, next to it, the Torrione del Podestà. The Teatro La Fenice has an elliptical plan and three tiers of boxes. In the Tenna valley, a few minutes' drive from the town, stands the Romanesque Abbazia dei Santi Ruffino e Vitale, with a crypt that holds the relics of San Ruffino. The 2016 earthquake brought down the bell tower of the church of San Francesco. For a route through the places of worship of the Sibillini, see the page on the sanctuaries and hermitages of the Sibillini. In the nearby municipality of Montefortino stands the Sanctuary of Madonna dell'Ambro.