Santuario di San Biagio

In the Ostuni woods, a small church and an obelisk mark the Sanctuary of San Biagio, set beside a rocky ravine. Once a hermitage, the site remains the destination of an annual pilgrimage on 3 February, when worshippers gather for the blessing of the throat.

Why it matters

The sanctuary is both a medieval religious site and a living centre of devotion. The FAI's heritage record describes a twelfth-century hermitage on the edge of the ravine, above a plain of centuries-old olive trees. The municipality records the annual walk to the sanctuary, drawing pilgrims from Ostuni and beyond.

What to notice

The heart of the site is the rock-hewn church, with a barrel-vaulted nave and Romanesque mullioned window. A late-Baroque altar holds a 1780 statue of Saint Blaise by Ostuni sculptor Giuseppe Greco. Wells and storage pits cut into the rock recall the hermits' daily life. The small church and the obelisk of San Biagio form the visible sanctuary complex. On the feast day, the priest blesses worshippers' throats with holy water, recalling the saint's traditional role as protector from throat ailments.

Context and history

The hermitage's documented history begins in the twelfth century. Monks of Greek-oriental rite, perhaps Basilian, lived here after receiving land and pastures from the bishopric of Ostuni. Parchments attest to the settlement, and traces of frescoes remain in the rock-cut church. Over time the hermitage became a rural sanctuary. Its February pilgrimage connects the medieval site with present-day devotion to Saint Blaise, the Armenian bishop and martyr remembered for saving a choking child.