Serracapriola (Foggia)

Serracapriola is a rural town in the province of Foggia. It is situated on a hill dominating the low course of the Fortore river on the left. It was first mentioned in 1046 with the name of Castellum de Serra.
It still preserves its grand medieval castle with its four large towers, restructured, and the church of San Mercurio with its 16th-century tables of the Umbria-Marche school. It was a feud in the past, with annexed ducal title, belonging to the Maresca, diplomats from Naples and Dukes of Serracapriola.

The convent was built at the expenses of the Lady of Serracapriola, Princess of Molfetta, Andronica del Balzo. On various occasions it was used as a place of novitiate and study. It was shut down due to the various suppression laws and was opened again in 1886. The church, currently also a parish, was built at the same time as the convent and is dedicated to Our Lady of Grace. Inside the church is the miraculous painting of the Madonna by Francesco da Tolentino.
The convent is linked to the Turkish invasions: having attacked and sacked the town, the Turks also set fire to the convent of the Capuchins; they burst into the church, "tore the images to pieces and one of them drove his scimitar into the painting of the Virgin Mary, so dear to the people; then he climbed on the altar, removed the painting and threw it on the floor, but almost at the same time he himself fell to the floor, lifeless."

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