Monte Sant'Angelo, the highest center of the Gargano (843 m.), Is calcareous in nature and has caverns and grottos. The best known is where the altar of St. Michael the Archangel is located. In 2011 the Sanctuary became a #UNESCO World Heritage Site with the serial circuit "Lombards in Italy: the places of power"... #tuttitaly
Located about 18 km from Manfredonia, Monte Sant'Angelo is the highest center of the Gargano (843m.). Limestone nature, with its caverns and caves, is considered one of the most mysterious places in the region. It is undoubtedly known from a historical-religious point of view.
According to a legend, the Archangel Michael appeared right on the top of the mountain. And precisely following this miraculous event, the church dedicated to the Archangel himself was built in 493.
It is said that a man lost a bull, and when he found it after several hours inside a cave, seized by anger, he shot an arrow at the beast to kill it. The arrow aimed straight at the animal, but instead of hitting it, it deflected its motion back and hit the one who had thrown it. To understand what had happened, the bishop went to the cave in search of answers, and at that moment, the Archangel Michael appeared to him and said he was responsible for what had happened.
The second appearance of the Archangel occurred in the period in which the king of the Goths besieged Siponto. The bishop asked for a three-day truce, and on the third day, the Archangel appeared and assured him of victory. Thanks to divine intervention, the soldiers defeated the enemies.
A year later, a procession was organized with the most important bishops of the city of the time. When the procession reached the cave, they found an altar surmounted by a cross and the footprint of the Archangel. Following the celebration of the Holy Mass, the Sanctuary was consecrated to San Michele and became a pilgrimage destination for the Crusader Knights.
Monte Sant'Angelo is also famous for the legend of Bianca Lancia, wife of Frederick II. It is said that her ghost appears in the Castle during the night. The researchers of the Italian Association of Mystery Researchers studied the legend. While not finding evidence attributable to the presence of the spectrum, they found numerous anomalies. They recorded voices and words spoken in Spanish, a curious fact if one considers the period when the fortress was under Spanish domination.
The Castle is located a few hundred meters from the Sanctuary of San Michele, and the union between the two legends seems to create a perfect marriage between the sacred and the profane. This makes Monte Sant'Angelo a unique place to be explored.
