santuario, basilica, Sant'Alfonso Maria de' Liguori

At the foot of the Lattari mountains, this basilica was built around a far humbler beginning: a small chapel dedicated to San Domenico, raised by Sant’Alfonso Maria de’ Liguori himself when he first came to Pagani to preach a mission. The larger church was commissioned by Carlo III in 1743, with the saint contributing to the design and the royal architect Pietro Cimafonte overseeing the work. It was eventually consecrated in 1803.

The sanctuary now holds the mortal remains of Sant’Alfonso, a Doctor of the Church, and was elevated to a Minor Basilica by Pope Pius X in 1908. It has received notable papal visitors: Pius IX came in 1849, accompanied by Ferdinando II, and John Paul II in 1990. The Baroque interior, typical of the period’s dramatic piety, is a fitting setting for the tomb of the founder of the Redemptorist order.

Description via source. Coordinates and heritage data from the Atika atlas.