Grotta di San Michele

Useful Information

Location:	Contrada Grotta San Michele, 76013 Minervino Murge BT, Italy. Minervino Murge, Privincia Barletta-Andria-Trani. From Minervino Murge SP230 north towards Canosa di Puglia 600 m, turn right 650 m on single-lane gravel road. Car park in front of the church. (41.094259, 16.076351)
Open:	By reservation, 5 persons minimum. [2021]
Fee:	Adults EUR 2.50, Children (0-9) free. [2021]
Classification:	Karst Cave Cave Church St. Michael Caves
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided, D=45 min.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no, several staircases
Bibliography:
Address:	Contrada San Michele Grotto, 76013 Minervino Murge (Bat), Tel: +39-0883-691036, Tel: +39-349-5718094. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

12-FEB-1000

first written mention of the cave.

Description

The Grotta di San Michele north of Minervino Murge is a huge karst cave with many speleothems. The cave entrance is marked by a chapel, and the interior is used as a church dedicated to Archange St Michael. The cave is open on Sundays, and there are two yearly festivals held here, on 08-MAY and 29-SEP. Both are related to St. Michael. On 08-MAY the apparition of the Archangel on the Gargano is celebrated, on 29-SEP the dedication of the church to the Saint.

The cave has been obviously known since early Roman times, as remains were found from this era. It seems it was used by Christians during early Christian times. It is first mentioned in a parchment from the year 1000 which is kept in the Abbey of Monte Cassino. The small chapel with the nice front facade is actually only the entrance to the much bigger cave below. A flight of stone staircases leads down into the cavern. Inside the cave is a huge altar with a statue of the Saint.

The village Minervino Murge is quite typical for southern Italy, it was built on top of a hill. On the eastern side of this hill is the valley of the Matitani river, which is more or less a dry valley. The small church is located on the eastern side of this valley, north of the city. The Sentiero Lama Matitani is a hiking trail which follows the valley and passes the cave church. The hike offers great views of the valley and the village, possible starting points are the Via Fratelli Rosselli or the Chiesa della Madonna dell Croce.

The site was widely published and appraised between 2010 and 2021. First, there were regular open hours on Sundays during summer, later it was open for small groups of at least 5 after appointment. It seems the website was shut down during Corona, we have no idea if tours are still offered. At the moment, we have listed the site as open.