santuario, basilica, Santuario Basilica Maria Santissima di Anglona

On a low hill at 263 metres, looking out over the valleys of the Agri and Sinni, the Santuario Basilica Maria Santissima di Anglona is the sole survivor of what was once a significant settlement. From Roman times through the Middle Ages, this ridge was a notable centre of religious and economic life; now the church is all that remains.

The building is Byzantine in origin, though it has been adapted and revered over centuries. It became the focus of a series of notable pilgrimages in the twentieth century: in 1951, to mark fifty years since the crowning of the Virgin, and again in 1983 for the Holy Year. Both events were commemorated with marble plaques, one in the cathedral at Tursi, the other here. Pope John Paul II, visiting Basilicata, described the region as blessed by Mary; this sanctuary is a quiet, weathered monument to that claim.

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