Chiesa rupestre di Madonna della Stella

The rock-hewn church of Madonna della Stella is cut into the tufa on the right bank of Gravina’s ravine. Its cave interior, entrance mosaic and history as a Marian sanctuary connect it with the landscape of the gorge and the religious life of the town.

Why it matters

The sanctuary’s name is linked to a local tradition about a fresco of the Madonna and Child with a star on the Virgin’s forehead. The fresco is no longer present, but the tradition is reflected in the church’s name and in the mosaic at the entrance. The site was associated with the Benedictine abbey of Banzi by the late thirteenth century.

What to notice

The entrance portal has a mosaic pattern of stars and dog roses. The cave was enlarged under the Benedictines; an apsidal chamber behind the altar may have served as a sacristy. The chapter’s account describes a stair cut into the tufa beside the entrance and an altar erected in 1709 by Cardinal Francesco Antonio Finy. It also notes the absence of surviving frescoes in the church.

Context and history

The cave sanctuary later passed into the ownership of Lucio Pinti of Matera and then the Orsini, the ducal family of Gravina. In 1566 Bishop Giovanni Angelo Pellegrino entrusted care of the sanctuary to the cathedral chapter, as recorded in the chapter’s Voti Capitolari. This long relationship is reflected in the church’s place among the chapter’s historic sites and in the religious traditions associated with the ravine.