Hermit of Santa Maria della Stella, Hermitage in Pazzano, Italy

The Hermit of Santa Maria della Stella is located within a natural cave on Monte Stella, containing Byzantine frescoes and a marble Madonna statue from the 16th century. The site merges natural rock formations with decorated surfaces and religious artworks.

Byzantine monks established this religious site in the 11th century, with Christodulus among the earliest leaders. The location later transformed into a Catholic monastery.

The wooden benches and white-cloth altar inside the cave serve the feast of the Assumption on 15 August, when the painting of the Woman of the Apocalypse is carried in procession. The marble Madonna, inscribed 1562 and 1.40 m tall, replaced the Byzantine icons the monks once venerated.

Access to the site follows a path from Pazzano that leads uphill along an old road route to the cave entrance. Climbing the stone steps requires physical effort, so sturdy footwear and steady pace are needed.

Among the frescoes is a Byzantine fragment of Mary of Egypt receiving the Eucharist from the monk Zosimus, dated to the 10th–11th century. Its disordered locks of hair identify the saint, and the choice of a female figure suggests a period of female eremitism at the cave.