La Badia di Pattano e il Museo Diocesano di Vallo della Lucania, tesori nascosti del Cilento Le Guide di Paestum e Velia en

Our journey to discover the quite  unknown places of  Cilento begins with a visit to the Abbey in Pattano, the most preserved Italian-Greek monastery in Southern Italy, a real jewel of the historical and artistic heritage of our country.

Located about 2 km from Vallo della Lucania, the complex is fortified with a long wall. It consists of a church dedicated to Santa Maria, whose original layout dates back to the 10th-11th century; the bell tower which is among the most particular and ancient of Southern Italy and the beautiful church of San Filadelfo, decorated with marvellous Byzantine frescoes of the X-XI century.

The Abbey represents one of the most important traces of the presence of the Italian-Greek monks. Starting from the eighth century AD, the monks fled from Middle-east because of the persecutions of Leo III Isauric and found refuge in Southern Italy. They have influenced not only the local culture and art, but also social customs and traditions.

From Pattano to Vallo della Lucania is a short distance. Vallo is home to the Diocesan Museum, a great “container” of sacred local artworks. They belonged to various churches in the area and were brought here after the earthquake in 1980.

In the museum there are nice paintings, sculptures and artefacts from the eleventh to the nineteenth century. Over all is the wooden statue of San Filadelfo, from the Abbey of Pattano, unique example  of  local byzantine sculpture . Another interesting thing is the painting of the Transfiguration  dated 1577, whose artist was Marco Pino, one of the major exponents of the Renaissance and  Mannerism in Italy .