Sanctuary of San Vito

The church of San Vito, now in ruins, stands about two kilometers from the town of Celle di San Vito. The town takes its name from this church. The sanctuary is located in the agricultural area of ​​the ancient village of San Vito and adjacent to it is the San Vito mountain, about a thousand meters high. Here, at the ancient source considered to be the source of the Celone stream, a Roman epigraph from 213 AD is preserved, which mentions the wood of the Aquilone and the emperor Caracalla, thus testifying the presence of the village in ancient times.

The Bull of Pasquale II, dated 10 November 1100, currently in the archives of the Cathedral of Troia, speaks of the church of San Vito. Later it is mentioned in a confirmation by Pope Innocent III dated February 20, 1212.

From the 15th to the 18th century, the church became the official sanctuary of the barony of Faeto, Celle di San Vito and Castelluccio Valmaggiore, a religious and cultural reference for all the towns of the Southern Dauno Sub-Apennines. Until the end of the 1950s, the sanctuary was guarded by a hermit who housed on the left side of the building. Crowds of faithful gathered here, especially in June, on the occasion of the feast of San Vito.

The church of San Vito, located on the Roman route of the ancient Via Traiana, is composed of two buildings: the first constitutes the rural church, while the second, divided into two distinct rooms, probably housed the sacristy and a deposit, called "hermit's house". On the right side there is a courtyard incorporated into the enclosure of what was once the "tavern of San Vito", now used as a farm. In the courtyard there was a carved stone fountain with a basin with various water features, dated 1610. The church was used in its functions until 1955.

On June 15 of each year in Celle di San Vito there is the feast of the saint with the procession inside the town. The pilgrimage to the sanctuary of San Vito was moved to August 8 to give the villagers who live in other cities, but who return to Celle di San Vito in the summer, the opportunity to participate. The procession begins in front of the church in the town of Celle di San Vito.