Diocesan Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

The Shrine of Mount Carmel in Montefalcone stands as a long-standing landmark of faith and memory in the Fortore area.

Its origins date back to 1604, when Giacomo Zillante began building a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Over time, with support from local families and emigrant communities, that chapel gradually became a major sanctuary.

In the early twentieth century, Abbot Antonio Altobelli promoted key milestones, including the aggregation to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome (1903) and the solemn coronation of the Marian statue on 15 July 1903.

A decisive phase came with Abbot Antonio Petrilli (rector from 1920 to 1954), who expanded the complex, completed the facade in 1935 and founded the Carmelite Sisters' Congregation in 1934, strengthening the sanctuary's pastoral and social mission.

Monsignor Donato Minelli, born in Montefalcone in 1926, later guided the sanctuary from 1971 onward, overseeing restorations, major jubilee celebrations and valuable historical research that preserved the shrine's documentary heritage.

Today, the shrine remains a spiritual reference point for Montefalcone and the wider Fortore, especially during the novena and the main feast days of 15, 16 and 17 July.

Historical profile by Francesco Capuano.