Millennial custodians of our history.
If there is any merit that should be attributed for the preservation of our treasures, our history, our identity, this credit goes to the Countryside Confraternities.
Yes, it must be given to them, the only and true knights at the service of our lives throughout the centuries, who have always been faithful and loyal to our ancestors, who, laden and full of honors, have been able to pass on to us and future generations the deeds of great men of the past. If Campagna is able to tell and show history, it is only thanks to those who, over the centuries, have been able to preserve what great things have been done.
Confraternity of Santa Maria della Neve
It was founded on 13 December 1258 and is the oldest Confraternity of Campagna and one of the oldest Marian confraternities of Italy.
It was established on the initiative of the priest Don Giovanni Belbuono, mainly urged by the Marquis of Campagna Ercole del Balzo , immediately after the stone column of Sant'Antonino was transferred from the abbey of Santa Maria la Nova in the church of SS. Salvatore, of which Belbuono himself was the parish priest, an event that can be deduced from the notarial deed of judge Pirro Geminelli dated 13 December 1258.
From the notarial transfer document we can also see the various agreements that were stipulated with the monks, it was established, in fact, both the co-naming of the church with the addition of Sant'Antonino, and the day of the celebrations, that is, February 14th every year as had been done until then, the day of the pious passing of the Patron Saint of Campagna.
The feudal lord of Campagna largely rewarded the monks personally with money and food. The column was transferred to Campagna thanks to three devotees from Campagna, Pietro De Risi, Andrea Ciminelli and Bartolomeo Principato, it was placed in the chapel of Sant'Antonino, with the primordial statute dedicated to him composed of colored plaster, centuries later it was replaced by current, sculpted by the Neapolitan artist Nunzio Maresca in 1601. The column will always remain in the place where it was placed until 1862, the year in which work was carried out on the chapel of the church.
The brotherhood had the balustrades that preserved the column and the altar with the statue decorated with marble to give greater prestige to the devotion of the saint.
The association, which has always been active in handing down the cult and in countless works of Christian charity, It exercised its functions until 1458, the year in which it fell apart due to the ongoing war and the terrible plague that afflicted the population in those years. This interruption caused a very long halt to its activities which lasted almost a century.
It was reconstituted on 22 April 1548, when Antonello Ciminelli, Gio. Francesco Guerriero and Annibale Carrione were appointed prosecutors of the brotherhood to stipulate a new agreement with the Chapter, to which the church of the SS had previously been entrusted. Salvatore.
The new agreement was stipulated in light of the needs of the new and reconstituted brotherhood and according to the spirit of the new times: It included the request for the ancient privileges on the chapel of the Madonna della Neve, which had been entrusted to the chapter together with the church of the SS. Trinity. The agreement was stipulated by the Notary Alessandro Mesimotti on 13 May 1548.
Among the various points, not only the rights but also the duties of the brothers were stipulated, which included: The decree to assist the dying, the sick and those condemned to death, as well as to meet all the needs of the church of Zappino located in today's square Giulio Cesare Capaccio, both in works and furnishings.
The confraternity, once again widely operational in the urban and social fabric, contributed to equipping the Seminary di Campagna, when it was established in 1722 by mons. Francesco Saverio Fontana, with the large sum of 1051 ducats, four houses, a olive grove in the San Felice area and an arable area of 15 tomoli of land in the locality. Castrullo.
It was reconstituted on 22 April 1548, when Antonello Ciminelli, Gio. Francesco Guerriero and Annibale Carrione were appointed prosecutors of the brotherhood to stipulate a new agreement with the Chapter, to which the church of the SS had previously been entrusted. Salvatore.
The new agreement was stipulated in light of the needs of the new and reconstituted brotherhood and according to the spirit of the new times: It included the request for the ancient privileges on the chapel of the Madonna della Neve, which had been entrusted to the chapter together with the church of the SS. Trinity. The agreement was stipulated by the Notary Alessandro Mesimotti on 13 May 1548.
Among the various points, not only the rights but also the duties of the brothers were stipulated, which included: The decree to assist the dying, the sick and those condemned to death, as well as to meet all the needs of the church of Zappino located in today's square Giulio Cesare Capaccio, both in works and furnishings.
In 1720, the high prelate visited the abbey of Santa Maria La Nova - after having learned that Sant'Antonino had lived in his novitiate many centuries before - and considering the terrible conditions it was in, he had it restored at his own expense equipping it with precious sacred furnishings. In 1772, once the renovation works were completed, he established the Monday in Albis procession. A procession which still takes place regularly today, saw the Confraternity of Santa Maria la Neve as the protagonist of the pilgrimage, but also in the main work of organizing it.
In 1768 the associates had the silver statue of Sant'Antonino melted down with their own contributions and those of the faithful from Campagna, an agreement stipulated during the public assembly, held on 21 May 1769 in the then seat of San Bernardino da Siena present in today's square Melchiorre Guerriero.
Over the centuries it has always maintained its statutory cults renewed in time and spirit.
Text edited by Cristian Viglione.
Based and extrapolated from Raffaele D'Ambrosio's work "The Country Confraternities through the centuries.". Year 1984
Confraternity of Santa Maria del Soccorso
The Cinturati brotherhood of Santa Maria del Soccorso boasts a very remote origin and is the second oldest brotherhood in Campagna in terms of antiquity, having been founded in 1393, today located in the church of Santo Spirito and the former Seminary, once stood where the Augustinian monks founded it, in the primordial neighborhood dedicated to Saint Augustine.
For a period of time, until the post-earthquake of November 23, 1980, it had its home in the church of the Annunziata, chapel of the new Agostinian Monastery , today the City Palace, mainly wanted by Ugo Sanseverino, lord of the countryside, who interceded with the Del Balzo-D'Apia spouses to exchange their residences with the friars, located in the aforementioned neighborhood named after the holy doctor of the Catholic church.
Always devoted to Saint Monica, mother of Saint Augustine, at the beginning of their history, they gathered many young people to animate them, with the exercise of some religious practices, in the cult of the Most Holy Virgin and in homage to Saint Monica, in a short time the number of the aforementioned became very large, so much so as to mobilize two nobles from Campagna, Michele Tercasio and Benedetto Belbuono to erect a regular brotherhood to have a norm during their meetings.
The brotherhood, which has always been attentive and sensitive to the social fabric of the countryside, contributed 110 ducats, three olive groves, with assets scattered throughout the countryside to the establishment of the Seminary, notes present in the notarial deed of 24 August 1722 drawn up by notary Francescantonio Giordano.< br /> In the primordial church annexed to the brotherhood, the church of the Annunziata, it had its own altar, which served to officiate its functions until 1807, when with the royal decree of suppression of the Augustinian order, it was necessary to "downsize" officiating in the 'apse of the church.
Many important events have accompanied the life of the brotherhood, such as when on 23 April 1625 it went to Rome for the Jubilee led by the then prior Giuseppe Mantenga, returning only on the following 20 May, marking the severe life to which the members were subjected. associates, having been affiliated to the order of SS. Hermits of Sant'Agostino for its association with the Archconfraternity of the Cinturati.
An association which has granted great privileges of indulgence since its inception. The Confraternity has always had as its main mission the help of the destitute and the most needy, since its inception it has stood out for providing first aid to citizens even in cases of natural disasters, keeping faith with the dedication of the Holy Virgin of Help, being able to easily define it as a "primordial" Civil Protection of the past, it has its own statute dated 1777 approved by the king of the time, Ferdinand IV of Bourbon.
As already mentioned, the pious association today has its headquarters in the former diocesan seminary, custodian and supporter of the hypogeum of the cloistered Benedictine nuns, a former convent commissioned by the noble Melchiorre Guerriero which houses the mortal remains of the sisters who lived there, brought to light in 2007 by the brothers themselves after a long series of works carried out in collaboration with the city and ecclesial authorities.
Text edited by Cristian Viglione.
Based and extrapolated from Raffaele D'Ambrosio's work "The Country Confraternities through the centuries.". Year 1984
Confraternity of the SS. Name of God
The history of the Confraternity of the Veiled Christ, although it has its roots in very remote times, originates in 1538, the year of its first foundation.
The story begins to take shape when a group of Dominican monks arrived in Campagna in 1259 to preach the Holy Gospel and give spiritual support to the poor and the sick. The monks, struck by the warmth and benevolence of the people, decided to stay in Campagna after concession of the feudal lord of Campagna, Ercole Del Balzo, Lord of Campagna, gave his assent.
The friars, by choice of life, lived in conditions of poverty and asked to settle in modest and poor haystacks present in the Pagliara district, in today's San Bartolomeo, here, near the current building, stood an old church dedicated to Santa Mary, a church of fundamental importance as regards the rest of the story, which we will analyze below.
A few years earlier, a hermit named Giorgio Iorio came from the areas that today belong to the Municipality of Battipaglia. He retired to the Alburni mountains to live in prayer and penance, the same that he decided to implement while he was meditating on the Passion of Christ by creating and by sculpting the face of the Son of God, despite having no tools or technical knowledge to create it, the hermit managed with rudimentary means to create the face of Jesus, sketching it in June 1236 with an expression of ineffable pain and arcane majesty, which still today amazes those who observe it.
Since its creation, the head has been hairless and crudely worked; the large cuts made with the axes can still be seen today. The front part of the head, however, is made with the knife, but without precision, the mole on the right was obtained with the natural nodule of wood, characteristic of avornium. Other handcrafted carvings make up the remainder of the Sacred Face.
The Blessed Sacrament is kept in a stupendous niche, placed on the altar dedicated to it, it is set in a wooden structure, artistically carved and adorned by angels at the altar heads, whose Latin cross door is kept closed by two locks, with a only glass placed at face height.
In December 1236 the old hermit Iorio brought the head made to Campagna and handed it over to the hermit Muria, who lived on a mountain called "Fumaiolo" near the medieval church of the Campagna district. The head remained there for a long time and only when the latter was close to death did he deliver the sacred sculpture to Brother Luca, officiant of the church of Santa Maria.
A few years after the pious passing of the friar rector, precisely in 1277, the Dominicans managed to build a small monastery adjacent to the church, thus abandoning their poor and primordial home, immediately becoming, even if in small dimensions, one of the best forges of talented preachers, both for doctrine and for holiness.
In 1366 the prior of the Dominicans, Fra Luigi, commissioned the Campagna artist Antonio Poro, a renowned local sculptor, with a well-stocked workshop near the church of Santa Maria della Giudeca, to build a large Crucifix to be placed in the church of Santa Maria, after a short time, Poro, fulfilling the task, handed over the majestic work to the Dominicans, who they enjoyed a precious statue to be placed near the main altar.
In those years, there were strong political unrest between Campagna and Eboli, so much so that it reached the point of an outbreak of a civil war, the hatred that smoldered between the parties meant that on 17 February 1369, a group of Postiglione's brigands, led by Salvatore Muscariello from Eboli, arrived in Campagna eager to take possession of the head that was sculpted by Iorio decades earlier, probably pressured by Muscariello, who manipulated the group of criminals into believing that it was the one in existence, destroyed the church of Santa Maria and the recently made Crucifix was beheaded and, as a sign of disfigurement, they took the head with them to Eboli, hiding it under the convent of San Francesco.
The monks barely managed to save themselves.
The crucifix, which in the meantime had remained headless, was the motive for the beginning of the civil war that broke out the following year between the Reds and the Whites, or between Eboli, Campagna and Acerno.
Years later, in 1387, Brother Luigi, prior of the Dominicans, remembered the head that the hermit Muria had given him to Prior Luca the century before, so he decided to try to place it on the disfigured Christ. This, miraculously, fit perfectly, sending fixed on the body, so much so that since then it has no longer been possible to remove it, all to the general amazement of the few present, an event that immediately caused people to cry out that it was a miracle.
At the opposite end of the aforementioned temple, the small church of San Paolo had already stood since 1204, built in a more convenient area and with obligatory passage than that of Santa Maria, without considering the fact that it was located on the slopes of the Castello Gerione and all the benefits that came from it in terms of protection.
For many years this building enjoyed importance and prestige, just due to the fact that it was under the direct interest of the Lords who lived in the Castle and due to its proximity to the countryside manor, but, with the passage of time, with the enlargement of the social fabric south of the Gerione and with the consequent abandonment of both the priests, who in the meantime had moved further down the valley to build other churches for greater security, greater proximity to their respective families and, for the change of residence of the Castellani of the time, this church began to lose importance so much so that it risked definitive abandonment.
At the beginning of 1400, there was only one priest left inside, named Bartolomeo, the Dominicans began to insistently ask for its management with the large adjacent plot, the new castellan, Francesco Orsini, with his arrival in 1437 established the countryside of Campagna , made the popular will his own and asked the Pope of the time, Nicholas V, for the bull to restore a temple to the friars. The Pope agreed and, to celebrate the victory in Campania in the civil war, ordered the construction of the convent with the annexation of the church of San Paolo, later renamed Saint Bartholomew.
An event of absolute importance occurred when, in 1440, San Berardino from Siena was sent to Campagna, the future Saint was given the task of calming the spirits within the various monastic orders and, among his visits to the city, he was brought in the presence of the Crucifix, the Sienese monk, in the presence of Jesus, lost consciousness, upon awakening he exclaimed: "Most Holy Name of God!" and prayed to those present to continue to venerate him with this name, the those present agreed and from then on the cult and veneration was born.
A century later, with the convent and monastic life now underway with a certain continuity, it was decided to found a brotherhood that would bear his name and, in 1538, the prior of the Dominicans, encouraged by the first bishop of the newly formed diocese of Campagna, Cherubino Caetani, gave life to an association of learned and religious men.
This first association, however, did not have a long life, internal diatribes regarding its aims and organization led to the collapse of the congregation, years later, thanks to the only native bishop of Campagna, Monsignor Giulio Cesare Guarnieri, a new association was established , this time with more solid foundations that ensured a long and lasting life, a year later, through a specific statute, the Confraternity of the SS was officially founded. Name of God.
So on 11 June 1593, the Campagna notary Lucio Perrotti stipulated the notarial deed which officially and definitively sanctioned the operation. An important event that determined a series of regulations that in the past had created discontent among the members, it was in fact determined that the Dominicans granted the current area of the large chapel and the oratory attached to the church to the Confraternity, reluctantly handed over the undressed Crucifix and reserved the right to burial under the oratory of the brotherhood.
The thirteen people from Campagna who signed the deed instead committed themselves to the demolition of the present crude altar and the construction of the current and majestic present altar.
A year later he approved the internal Statute of the bishop Guarnieri with the appointment of the first prior, the magnanimous Gio. Camillo Carrione.
It is worth mentioning among the historical events that have come down to us that in 1572, the heretical friar Giordano Bruno, burned at the stake on 17 February 1600 in Campo de i Fiori in Rome, completed his novitiate in the Dominican convent, where he sang his first mass.
The Confraternity's aim, in addition to the veneration of the cult of the Crucifix, is also to take charge of meeting the requests of the most needy and of trying as much as possible to intercede for the resolution of oppression and disputes of the population.
Locally it is also called the brotherhood of the "Thirty-three", as it cannot ignore the maximum number of 32 effective brothers plus the Most Holy Name of God, the perennial holy brother.
Text edited by Cristian Viglione.
Based and extrapolated from Raffaele D'Ambrosio's work "The Country Confraternities through the centuries.". Year 1984
Confraternity of Our Lady of the Rosary
The Confraternity of the Madonna del Rosario was founded in 1605 at the behest of the Dominican friars of San Bartolomeo and for about twenty years it officiated in the church of the same name, precisely in the place where today its large chapel stands, built at its expense, in front of that of the confraternity of the SS. Name of God, placed to the left of the main altar of the church for those entering.
She later had a stupendous statue of the Madonna of the Rosary sculpted with the child in her arms, which is kept in the oratory, while another, more recently made statue, identical to the one present in the church, was placed in the niche of the church. in the confreres.
The oratory of the pious association is spacious, sunny, full of valuable and artistic stalls, it is maintained with great care and devotion by the same and its walls are all painted with religious scenes.
It was also equipped with designated spaces to the tomb with two large vaulted voids underneath; one was accessed via a stone slab placed immediately after the main entrance which covered the staircase below in the mortar factory and the other via two marble slabs, on which is written "Hodie tibi, cras mihi." (Today for you, tomorrow for me) with a carved skull, placed near the prior's stall.
The corpses were placed against the walls with factory supports under the armpits and placed in a vertical position, to quickly dry them out and better preserve them.
On the main altar of the oratory there are two columns of very fine and artistically crafted marble, found in the void below of the church of San Bartolomeo.
Then the Confraternity, desirous and in need of having its own space, had a space built for itself in 1627 to better fulfill its functions.
The Statute of the Confraternity originally envisaged a number of 265 brothers, this was one of the richest in both sacred furnishings and furnishings, so much so that on 15 May 1773 the confraternity of the SS. Name of God proposed to cut him off, because having to carry out some processions they were forced to take the form of the congregation of the Madonna del Rosario.
This contributed to the establishment of the seminary with 160 ducats and two houses, an olive grove and arable land of 100 tomoli of land. The public deed was stipulated by the notary Francescantonio Giordano on 23 August 1722.
In 1735, it stipulated an agreement with the Dominicans, according to which the prior of the convent, also parish priest of San Bartolomeo, undertook to attend all religious functions, processions and to preside over the meetings of the brotherhood. This, for its part, would have rewarded the parish priest fairly.
An important event occurred in 1795 when the convention of 1735 was renewed and according to a clause the parish priest could elect fifteen brothers at his discretion to complete the number foreseen by the statute of 265 associates.
The aim of the association is to meditate and contemplate the Mysteries of the Rosary as well as to preach its wonders to the poorest, the sick and the destitute.
Text edited by Cristian Viglione.
Based and extrapolated from Raffaele D'Ambrosio's work "The Country Confraternities through the centuries.". Year 1984
Confraternity of Monte dei Morti and Blessed Virgin of Carmel
The Confraternity of the Mount of the Dead under the sacred patronage of the Virgin of Carmel was founded in 1627 following a mission of the Jesuit fathers of the Society of Jesus, by Ludovico Cantalupo, whose skull is carefully preserved, together with that of a another brother, the cabinetmaker Mariano Cuocolo, responsible for the creation of the wooden furnishings of the church.
It began to operate under Bishop Berzellino de Berzellini and thanks to its merit it was aggregated to that of Rome with the favor of numerous indulgences, as could easily be deduced from the ancient painting, once located behind the main altar. It alone enjoys the privilege of carrying the banner of processions like that of Rome.
Today in the church you can admire the altar of the Madonna del Carmine, all in local stone, finely carved, a true jewel of art by local sculptors. Before there was a wooden altar and under Vincenzo Busillo's priory it was replaced with the current one, removed from the church of San Martino in the former convent of the Capuchin Friars, where it constituted the main altar, to the right and left of which the capital initials C.C. and E.D. are visible when entering.
The bull of its erection is dated 7 August 1627 by the vicar capitular and general Constantino Naymoli, vicar of Mons. Scappi. It contributed to the establishment of the seminary, whose deed was stipulated on 12 July 1722 by the notary Giordano, with the exorbitant sum of 2194 ducats for that time, with nine vast buildings, five olive groves, an estate in the locality. Cappellania, one in San Felice, one in Pariti, one Pezzarotonda, one in Varano, three vast arable territories for a quantity of 167 tomoles of land.
As mentioned, the brotherhood was admitted to enjoy all the privileges of the Archconfraternity of the Dead in Rome, in just a few years it became so numerous, up to two hundred brothers, and so rich as to arouse the attention of all the others present in the city. Much importance was given and still is given to the cult of the dead, who were buried under the churches, the bequests were huge and almost everyone, before moving on to a better life, asked the brotherhood to celebrate masses in their memory.
Women were also admitted into the confraternity, as they were deemed suitable for the cult of the dead and for inculcating respect for the deceased in the hearts of men. Already in 1700 there was a very large number.
From the moment of its foundation, it was endowed with much capital donated not only by the Studio Generale, but also by many benefactors. She was allowed by the chapter to carry out her cult functions in the "soccorpo" of the Cathedral, in exchange for the aforementioned concession, the chapter reserved the right to be part of the brotherhood.
In 1763 the chapter, on the basis of false and non-existent rights, opposed the approval of the new statute and presented an appeal to the Royal Chamber of Santa Chiara which, after a careful and in-depth examination of the documents presented by both interested parties, rejected the appeal of the chapter and recognized the legitimacy of the independence of the brotherhood from the chapter, which had often even closed the door of the lower church, prohibiting the carrying out of functions, as happened in 1705 by the parish priest of the cathedral Don Andrea Viviano.
It had official internal status in 1765.
As has been widely said, the purpose of the congregation is to venerate the cult of the dead, so that its prayers, through the works of the Holy Spirit, can accompany the soul of the deceased in Paradise, acting as spiritual purgation.
The confraternity, which was reconstituted in 1997, immediately stood out for its faith and effectiveness. Through a renewed spirit it has undertaken numerous renovation works and artistic and structural restorations, bringing back to light part of the ancient burial places in 1999 and cataloguing, with attention and concern, ancient documents, very important for our and their centuries-old history.
Last but not least, it became the protagonist of the establishment of an archaeological zone through the discovery of the external walls of the medieval church of Santa Maria della Giudeca.
Text edited by Cristian Viglione.
Based and extrapolated from Raffaele D'Ambrosio's work "The Country Confraternities through the centuries.". Year 1984
Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception
The Confraternity is based in the hamlet of Serradarce, it was born thanks to Brother Mariano, the provost who was given the faculty of administration of the nascent church of Santa Maria del Buon Consiglio, a donation from the lawyer. Cantalupo from Campagna, gifted with an active spirit, wanted and obtained from Monsignor. Nappi the constitution of the Brotherhood on 2 July 1885.
The high prelate ratified the bull of erection. The same, in 1889, immediately took action together with the local citizens to equip the church with the bell it needed and, again at their request in 1901, the driveway leading to the church was built. In 1902, however, the famous Serradace fair was established for the first time.
The aims of the pious association from the beginning consisted in spreading and promoting the cult of the SS. Sacramento, with the possibility of assisting the dying and accompanying the deceased to their burial.
