St. John of Monte Marano

Feastday: August 17
Death: 1094

Benedictine bishop. appointed by Pope St. Gregory VII in 1074. He is the patron saint of Monte Marano, Italy.

Comune in Campania, Italy

Montemarano is a town and comune, former Latin bishopric and present titular see in the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy.

History

The existence of the town is documented since the 11th century. During the Norman rule of southern Italy, it was completely destroyed. Later it became a fiefdom of Raona of Fragneto. Other important feudal families were the Caracciolo, the Della Leonessa and the Della Marra. There is further evidence that it was a useful stopover by the Roman legions on their way to Brindisi, Terminus Appia A temple to the main Roman God, Jove was revealed decades ago dating to a style of building related to the Greeks. Hence, it is postulated that people inhabited Montemarano since BCE. A fire destroyed much of the documented evidence concerning the entire region,

Culture

The most important event is the Montemarano Carnival with its tarantella montemaranese, an ancient tradition of the place.

Economy

The economy depends on agriculture, mostly on vineyards.