Il palazzo, on a hill not far from the Abbey of Montevergine but more accessible and functional to the service that the monks provided to the local populations and pilgrims, is still the seat of the Verginian congregation, which settled there after 1732 when the previous house was destroyed by an earthquake. The new structure is a marvelous example of Baroque architecture: designed by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro, one of the most esteemed Neapolitan architects of the era, it was completed by the Neapolitan engineer Michelangelo Di Blasio with some radical modifications, such as the demolition of the tower intended as the abbot’s residence and the creation of the two imposing staircases immediately after the entrance door. On the entrance vault, the Abbey’s coat of arms is by the painter Antonio Vecchione, who also frescoed the vaults of the two small rooms housing the Diocesan Archive. On the first floor, the pharmacy is also noteworthy, with its precious jars, each bearing the abbey’s coat of arms on the front, housed in walnut showcases, executed in an excellent 18th-century style imitation. On the noble floor, the chapter hall is a sumptuous 18th-century salon, recently (1957) covered with red damask, where three 16th-century Flemish school tapestries stand out; on the ceiling, the decorations and stuccoes were made by the Conforto brothers from Calvanico. The chapel, with an altar of polychrome marbles on which is a canvas with “The Assumption into Heaven of the Holy House of Loreto” by Paolo De Maio, pupil of Francesco Solimena, has undergone substantial restoration work. In 1925, Vincenzo Volpe, a well-known figure of 19th-century Neapolitan painting, worked there, designing the ceiling and marble floor, while the choir in 18th-century style imitation, in carved wood and leather, was made by his son Geppino and brother Mario. The 18th-century wing still includes the refectory, where three tapestries are located, and the kitchen, while the so-called “students’ wing” was not part of the original project and was added in the second half of the 18th century. The beautiful inner garden, extending over 3000 sqm, is arranged around a large path in the shape of a Latin cross aligned with the facade’s turret where there is a Neapolitan school clock (Barletta). The Montevergine Congregation still observes the cloister; therefore, the Loreto palace is only visitable in the part occupied by the Library with the annexed Archive – under state competence – and the ancient pharmacy.
Information about the Abbey Palace of Loreto
Via Loreto, 1
83013 Mercogliano (Avellino)
0825 787191 0825 789933
bmn-mnv@beniculturali.it/ montevergine@librari.beniculturali.it / biblioteca@santuariodimontevergine.com.
https://www.montevergine.librari.beniculturali.it
Source: MIBACT
