The Sanctuary of the Madonna di Compigliano, affectionately known to the people of San Vito as “la Madonnina”, stands on the hill of the same name on the outskirts of San Vito Romano, along the old Strada di Campigliano. Local tradition holds that around 1500 the Virgin Mary appeared among the branches of a cherry tree to a young deaf-mute shepherd, who, upon seeing the image of the Madonna and Child, instantly regained his speech and hearing. A small shrine was first raised on the site of the miracle and later enlarged, becoming a proper church between the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
The miraculous image, painted on a panel of cherry wood, is kept above the main altar. Between the late 18th and mid-19th centuries the building, originally single-naved, was extended with two side aisles, each with four altars; in 1790 the local notable Sisto Sallustj had the sacristy built and the presbytery adorned with elegant stuccowork. Numerous miracles are attributed to the Madonna di Compigliano, including protection of the population during the 19th-century plague and cholera epidemics.
On 22 August 1948 the image was solemnly crowned, following its official recognition granted on 23 May of the same year, and the church was raised to the rank of sanctuary. Around the building stand fifteen ceramic aedicules depicting the mysteries of the rosary, erected in memory of the 1984 Holy Missions and the 1987-88 Marian Year: a path that still makes the sanctuary, to this day a destination for pilgrims, one of the most evocative and cherished places in San Vito Romano.
Photo: Nicolò Fiorenza, Wikimedia Commons, public domain; Comune di San Vito Romano, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0; SVR Lovers.
