Church of San Giovanni Battista

In 1412, by privilege granted to the City of Ariano by Ladislao, son of Charles of Anjou, the church of San Giovanni Battista in Monteleone di Puglia was elevated to parish dignity and fulfilled its function of parish for five centuries, but for the state in which it was reduced, due to evident signs of dilapidation, it was no longer accessible and, due to the demographic increase, it was no longer sufficient to accommodate the faithful.

The Bishop of the Diocese of Ariano, Mons. Domenico Russo, in the letter sent to the Intendant on 16.6.1823 described the old woman, commonly called "il Cappellone", "a place for many years so run down that it does not even serve to guard the livestock and it cannot be considered the house of God due to its state of dilapidation: without plaster, without floor and unsafe ceiling; a narrow and insufficient room to receive even the fourth part of the faithful".

Such were the conditions of the ancient Archpriest Church, former baronial chapel, when the Archpriest D. Tommaso Lallone in 1821 laid the first stone to start the construction of the current church, which he strongly desired. He had to overcome many difficulties of an economic and bureaucratic nature. His noble project was able to go ahead in the implementation, thanks also to the generosity of the people who contributed with money, with labor and with the transport of building materials.

To decorate the Church with artistic stuccos, two master plasterers, Angelo Conforti and Bemardino Galderisi from Calvanico (Salerno), were commissioned, who began the works in 1852. The Mayor Luciano Trombetti intervened in 1860 and in the 1870 for restoration work, while in 1880 the Mayor himself had the façade of the Church decorated, covering it with ashlar gray stone.

Recently, after the earthquake of 1980, which hit Irpinia hard, due to evident damage to the Church of San Giovanni Battista, the parish priest D. Sante Dota promptly requested restoration work to the Superintendency of Bari, which provided with its own funds to a first restoration operation in the years 1983 - 1986.

The work was entrusted to the Malsonda Company of Naples.