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APULICA / FAITH

Shrine of Saint Gerard Majella

Sanctuary · Materdomini (Caposele) · Campania

In brief

Festivals and dates

From Marian shrine to Saint Gerard's home

Materdomini, a hamlet of Caposele in the province of Avellino, takes its name from a Marian shrine born in the Middle Ages. According to a documented tradition, in the 13th century the Virgin appeared to shepherds from Abruzzo who had brought their flocks here and asked them to have the parish priest of Caposele build a shrine dedicated to Mary «Materdomini», Mother of the Lord. Beside the small church stood a hermitage for its keepers.

In 1746 Saint Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorist Missionaries, came to preach a popular mission; at the bishop's request he agreed to settle a community here, which became the Congregation's fifth house. Gerard Majella himself helped build the convent by collecting offerings in nearby villages. After his death, and above all after his canonisation in 1904, the flow of pilgrims made it necessary to enlarge the church: work began on 16 October 1913, the church was inaugurated in 1929, and in 1930 Pius XI granted it the title of minor basilica.

On 23 November 1980 the Irpinia earthquake destroyed the old basilica and the Redemptorist college. Rebuilding took many years and was funded above all by the generosity of devotees; the basilica reopened for worship on 20 April 2000. The Church of the Redeemer, used for large celebrations, had been inaugurated in 1974.

Sources: Il Santuario - sangerardo.it · L'antica Basilica - sangerardo.it

Gerard, the saint of mothers and children

Gerard Majella was born at Muro Lucano on 6 April 1726 into a poor family, and worked as a tailor before managing, through sheer insistence, to join the Redemptorists, who at first thought him too frail. He lived as a lay brother a life of prayer, obedience and service. In June 1754 he was sent to Materdomini, where he was put in charge of the convent's door: during the harsh winter of 1754-1755, when snow left day labourers without work, he handed out clothes and provisions to the poor, and was remembered as the «father of the poor».

He died of tuberculosis at Materdomini during the night of 16 October 1755, aged only 29, and a large crowd immediately gathered around his coffin. He was canonised on 11 December 1904. John Paul II recalled his charity, attentive to the material and spiritual needs of the poorest, and noted that his tomb draws pilgrims from Italy and from many countries on every continent.

Today Gerard is invoked worldwide as the saint of mothers and children. The shrine's Ribbon Room holds countless photographs and coloured birth ribbons with which families thank him for the gift of a new life.

Sources: La vita di San Gerardo - sangerardo.it · Malattia e Morte - sangerardo.it · San Gerardo - sangerardo.it · Giovanni Paolo II, Lettera al Superiore Generale della Congregazione del SS. Redentore per l'Anno Gerardino (6 agosto 2004) · Il Santuario - sangerardo.it

Basilica, shrine and the saint's places

The complex includes several spaces. The basilica is the oldest part and holds the body of Saint Gerard, in a shrine placed at the foot of the presbytery and of an altar dedicated to Our Lady of Materdomini. The silver shrine, embossed and chased with lilies and frames, is a gift from Muro Lucano, the saint's birthplace. After the earthquake the old stained-glass windows with scenes from his life were restored, and Gerard's small room was rebuilt with period furniture and an 18th-century terracotta floor.

Nearby are the Church of the Redeemer, inaugurated in 1974 and shaped after the tent of the Tabernacle, the Ex-voto Room, with objects offered by the faithful for graces received, and the Ribbon Room. The Gerardine Museum displays images, paintings and statues about the saint's life and the early history of the Redemptorist Congregation; there is also a collection of donated nativity scenes, including fine Neapolitan cribs.

Among the oldest parts of the complex is Saint Gerard's well, which predates the Redemptorists and collected rainwater. The three-storey convent was designed by the Bourbon court architect Pietro Cimafonte and today houses the religious community.

Sources: Il Santuario - sangerardo.it · L'antica Basilica - sangerardo.it

The 16 October feast

Saint Gerard's liturgical feast is celebrated on 16 October, the anniversary of his death, and is prepared by a novena, which in 2026 began on 7 October.

2026 is a special year for Materdomini: the Gerardine Year for the third centenary of the saint's birth (1726-2026), opened on 6 April 2026 with a Mass presided over by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. The programme has included a walking pilgrimage from Muro Lucano to Materdomini, «from the cradle to the tomb», and an extraordinary exposition of the shrine on 15 August 2026.

Sources: San Gerardo - sangerardo.it · Inizio Novena in preparazione alla festa di san Gerardo - sangerardo.it · Tricentenario - sangerardo.it · Eventi - sangerardo.it

Visiting the shrine

The shrine stands at Materdomini, a hamlet of Caposele, and is cared for by the Redemptorist Fathers, who welcome pilgrims and lead the liturgical life; the official website (sangerardo.it) publishes the times of services and the contacts of the secretariat and sacristy. A visit can include the basilica with the saint's shrine, the Church of the Redeemer, the Gerardine Museum, the ex-voto and ribbon rooms and the nativity collection.

For information on the area, the Municipality of Caposele lists the Tourist Infopoint of the Municipality of Caposele (Infopoint Turistico del Comune di Caposele), on Via Santuario in Materdomini, on the municipality's official website (comune.caposele.av.it).

Sources: Il Santuario - sangerardo.it · Luoghi, Strutture, Attrazioni e Turismo - Comune di Caposele · Santuario San Gerardo Maiella - sangerardo.it

The place

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