Montefusco

Montefusco is situated on top of a hill between the Calore and Sabato rivers. With its narrow, steep streets, this town in the Campania region was founded as a Lombard castle and, having become important because of its location, it was one of the fortified towns defending the capital of the Benevento duchy.

In 1111, the castle of Montefusco was held by a powerful garrison. During the Hohenstaufen period, Frederick II ordered important restoration and enlargement work to be performed, raising it to the status of imperial castle.
Montefusco was the capital of the province of Avellino from 1581 to 1806. During the riots of the Risorgimento, patriots from the Irpinia region were imprisoned in the castle prisons.

The convent is less than one mile away from the town, in the borough of Sant'Egidio, and it dates back to the year 1625.
The Capuchins of the religious province of Naples resided there until 1867, when they were sent away following the suppression law. Later, it was entrusted with the Capuchins of Foggia and reopened on November 5th 1900.

In 1837, the convent had the honor of hosting Cardinal Gioacchino Pecci for one month because of his poor health conditions. He was later to become Pope Leo XIII. Brother Pio spent little time in Montefusco. He arrived at the end of November 1908, and during the first months of the following year, Father Agostino himself accompanied Padre Pio to Pietrelcina because he was ill. Father Paolino of Casacalenda said about him:
"He was a plump young man, with rosy cheeks which far from showed any sign of the illness affecting him. He used to wear a silk scarf around his neck to protect his throat, and his whole person showed how good and nice he was".
Years later, Padre Pio remarked about Father Paolino's words: " The main problem with my illness was that, apparently, I showed no signs of being ill and, therefore, many could doubt about the fact that I was actually suffering".

Photo gallery :

« Back to Padre Pio's places