Information
The Church was fundamental to the adjacent Abbey of the Priory of San Pietro Orbitano, founded by the ancient Norman family of Frittone; the monastery hosted for a long time the Verginiani, monks of the Benedictine Order.
The abbey complex was the active center of many activities of the city life, serving as a place of worship as a gymnasium, high school, hospital, prison and magistrate’s court. In addition to the Church and the monastery, the abbey extended into a large area that included a farmhouse, several houses and mills and many lands donated by the Lords of the Fortress and devotees.
Today the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie has a beautiful stone facade with horizontal bands and a bell tower of classical brick workmanship; the interiors are of a Mannerist Baroque and still used for cults.
The ancient monastery instead houses a characteristic B & B.
