Cappella di Santa Maria a Tentarano

The Chapel of Santa Maria a Tentarano stands on the slopes below Deserto hill near Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi. Founded by the Aprea family in the fifteenth century, it preserves a fresco of the nursing Madonna in a small vaulted interior.

Why it matters

The chapel is a family foundation that became a focus of local devotion. Historian Filangieri recorded the particular veneration of its Madonna, whose image was once adorned with crowns of silk and silver.

What to notice

The chapel has a single vaulted room and one altar. Its principal image is a fresco of the Virgin seated with the Child, framed by stucco against a red ground. Both figures turn outward toward the viewer.

Context and history

The Aprea family founded the chapel in the fifteenth century. Filangieri's account describes the image's crowns and the devotion shown to it, especially on Saturdays. The small chapel's setting below Deserto hill reflects the scattered pattern of religious foundations across the Massa Lubrense countryside.