Santuario della Consolazione

The convent was founded towards the end of the 15th century by the monks of the Hermit Order of St. Augustine of the Observance, led by Blessed Felice da Corsano, where there was a small church dedicated to Saint Peter. They dedicated the hermitage and the new Church to Our Lady of Consolation, and commissioned the oil canvas of the Virgin that suckles the little Jesus still venerated here.

Blessed Felice wrote here the "Reformation Ilicetana" of his Order and this Sanctuary became its Mother House, remaining prosperous until 1653 when Pope Innocent X abolished the monastic Order. This event will be followed by a period of abandonment and decadence of the sacred building. In 1744 the Missionary Institute of the Redemptorists arrived at the Consolation and with him its founder Sant'Alfonso Maria De' Liguori. Here the Saint writes his famous "Moral Theology" and, most likely also the Christmas song: "You come down from the stars".

The Sanctuary later welcomed Saint Gerard Maiella, who here carried out almost his entire apostolate and performed several miracles. The Church of the convent has lost its eighteenth-century facade, but preserves inside all its baroque splendor.

Above the altar is the Canvas of Our Lady of Consolation of the fifteenth century; while behind it is a small niche where Saint Gerard used to curl up in prayer.

To the right of the entrance is the chapel in which is kept the papier-mâché bust "Ecce Homo" modeled by hand by Saint Gerard.