Twenty-third stage 2025:
Goleto Abbey, in Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi
Theme: Path
The twenty-third stage was a particularly special occasion, as In cammino took part-with a delegation led by President Livia Pomodoro and Director Tonino Bettanini-in the second edition of the Forum of Historical and Religious Paths, held from May 30 to June 1, 2025, at the Abbey of Goleto in Sant’Angelo dei Lombardi, in the province of Avellino.
This invitation fit perfectly into our itinerary, which includes the most significant abbeys in Europe from a historical and spiritual perspective. The Goleto Abbey represents an important monastic complex not only for the Upper Irpinia region but for all of southern Italy. The complex connects the North and South of the peninsula, as it was founded in 1133 by Saint William of Vercelli, later known as William of Montevergine, after the first abbey he established in the province of Avellino. The second was Goleto itself, chosen by the Saint—born in Vercelli in 1085 and deceased in this monastery in 1142—as his hermitage, due to its isolated position amid the rugged yet harmonious landscape of Sant’Angelo dei Lombardi.
William traveled extensively through these often harsh regions, reaching as far as Apulia, as various historical sources attest. The Path of William connects the two abbeys he founded—Montevergine and Goleto—to the towns in Campania, Basilicata, and Apulia associated with his name and his work of evangelization: a 320-kilometer route that still today leads pilgrims from the mountains of Irpinia to the ancient embarkation ports for the Holy Land.
The Forum of Historical and Religious Paths, now in its second edition, focuses on the fifteen stages that make up William’s itinerary, bringing together mayors, clergy, local associations, scholars, and internationally renowned speakers for three days of debates and presentations. This year’s meeting at Goleto took place after the recent completion of an extensive restoration campaign of the complex.
Gallery of the Goleto
The word chosen for this special twenty-third stage could only be “Journey”- a theme developed in the presentations by Livia Pomodoro, holder of the UNESCO Chair Food Systems for Sustainable Development and Social Inclusion at the University of Milan, and Tonino Bettanini, Director of In cammino. On Saturday, May 30, they recounted key moments from these three years of ethical and cultural pilgrimage through Europe’s abbeys—where we have organized conferences on monastic agricultural practices, meetings on spirituality and social engagement, as well as performances and recitals related to the places visited.
Among the participants at the Goleto conference were: H.E. Mons. Pasquale Cascio, Archbishop of Sant’Angelo dei Lombardi–Conza–Nusco–Bisaccia; P. Riccardo Luca Guariglia OSB, Abbot of Montevergine; P. Giovanni Maria Gargiulo OSB, Superior of Goleto Abbey; Carmine De Angelis, Director General of Turismo delle Radici (Tourism of Origins) at the Presidency of the Council; Felice Casucci, Regional Councillor for Tourism of Campania; and Rosanna Repole, Mayor of Sant’Angelo dei Lombardi. The meetings were moderated by journalists Elisa Forte and Annibale Discepolo.
“Our journey began in 2023 in Canterbury, following in the footsteps of Sigeric, who first traced the route of the Via Francigena,” said Livia Pomodoro. “We have visited many places and met many people, collecting memories we will always carry with us. These have been moments of personal growth and discovery—of a story that bridges past, present, and future. A story made of spirituality, art, beauty, and an agriculture respectful of humanity and nature, born and developed in the abbeys. It is in these timeless places, such as Goleto, that the roots of European culture are still preserved today.”
As previously mentioned, the monastic citadel of the Most Holy Saviour at Goleto was founded in 1133 by William of Vercelli, who had received the land for the new abbey from Roger, a Norman lord of nearby Monticchio—now uninhabited—situated between Sant’Angelo dei Lombardi and Rocca San Felice.
At the founder’s wish, the original large complex was intended to host a mixed community of nuns and monks, under the supreme authority of an Abbess, while the monks were responsible for liturgical services and administrative duties. The complex revolved around the Church of the Most Holy Saviour, located at the center with its façade facing west. It included the large nuns’ monastery beside the apse and the smaller monks’ monastery in front of the façade. It is likely that soon after the Saint’s death—on the night between June 24 and 25, 1142—the first reconstruction of the church began to house his relics.
Under the guidance of renowned abbesses—Febronia, Marina I and II, Agnes, and Scholastica—the community flourished, and the monastery became famous for the holiness of its nuns. It was enriched with lands and artworks. To their industriousness we owe some of the most significant monuments of the complex: the Tower of Febronia, a true masterpiece of Romanesque art built using numerous stone blocks from a Roman mausoleum, named after the Abbess who commissioned its construction in 1152 to defend the monastery. The Chapel of St. Luke was built in 1255 to house the relic of the Evangelist. It is the jewel of the Abbey.
For about two centuries, the monastic community exerted great influence over Irpinia, Apulia, and Basilicata, also thanks to the protection granted by the Norman-Swabian nobility. However, beginning in 1348, the year of the Black Death, the monastery entered a slow and irreversible decline, leading Pope Julius II to suppress the community on January 24, 1506—an act effectively completed with the death of the last abbess in 1515. With the end of the female community, the monastery was united with that of Montevergine, which ensured the presence of a few monks. A slow revival followed, reaching its peak in the mid-18th century—after severe earthquake damage in November 1732—with the full restoration of the monastery and the construction of the Great Church by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro.
In 1807, King Joseph Bonaparte of Naples once again suppressed the Abbey. The body of Saint William was transferred to Montevergine, and Goleto’s furnishings were divided among nearby villages. From 1807 to 1973, the monastery remained abandoned, despite repeated appeals for its restoration. Portals and stones were stolen, roofs and walls collapsed, and brambles took over the site. Only the peasants’ farmhouse continued its centuries-old life.
In 1973, Father Lucio Maria De Marino (1912–1992), a Benedictine monk from Montevergine, settled among the ruins. With great perseverance, he renewed attention to the material and spiritual restoration of Goleto. Thanks to him, the first restoration works began, gradually bringing the complex back to life. From 1990 to July 2021, the Little Brothers of the Jesus Caritas Community, inspired by Charles de Foucauld, took care of the spiritual animation of the Goleto complex, which increasingly became a place of reference for the faithful, pilgrims, and visitors. Finally, in 2024, the Benedictine Fathers returned to the Abbey of Goleto.
After attending and speaking at the Forum of Historical and Religious Paths, President Pomodoro and Director Bettanini visited Mercogliano and the Abbey Sanctuary of Montevergine.
This Benedictine monastic complex is of great historical importance: it is one of Italy’s six territorial abbeys and has been declared a national monument. Inside it is venerated the painting of the Madonna of Montevergine, and it is estimated to attract about one and a half million pilgrims each year. Its construction dates back to the consecration of the first church in 1126, although William of Vercelli’s ascent to Mount Partenio is documented as early as 1118. The future saint had chosen this solitary place for his ascetic life, but the fame of his virtues attracted numerous disciples, giving rise to a monastic community. In a short time, intense building activity led to the creation of the first monks’ cells and a small church, which William’s profound Marian devotion dedicated to the Virgin. United under the Congregation of the Virginiani, the monks spread Marian devotion throughout southern Italy, organizing pilgrimages and making Montevergine the most famous Marian sanctuary in southern Italy.