Monte San Liberatore, Mountain and religious site in Campania, Italy.
Monte San Liberatore is a mountain in Campania, topped by a chapel and a large iron cross visible from the surrounding coastal region. Several climbing routes lead to the summit, ranging from easy paths to more demanding ascents.
The church on the summit is documented as early as 980, when Bishop John II of Salerno granted it to the nun Susanna of Salerno as a female monastery and hermitage. The community remained until 1300, when the nuns were transferred to Salerno. The church was enlarged over the centuries and stayed active until the 1600s; damaged by a 17th-century earthquake, it was later kept only by occasional hermits. In 1943 Allied troops took the mountain after the Salerno landings and positioned artillery there for about two weeks.
The church, documented as early as 980, was granted by Bishop John II of Salerno to the nun Susanna as a female monastery and hermitage; the community remained until 1300, when the nuns moved to Salerno. The former burial place of the Benedictine nuns now serves as a pilgrims' reception hall, while only the right nave keeps its original function.
The mountain can be reached from the Salerno-Reggio Calabria highway, and several routes lead to the top. Check the weather before setting out and allow enough time for the ascent.
The iron cross at the summit was put up in 1955 and is lit at night, making it a reference point visible from a great distance. People looking at the mountain from the coast often spot this light before anything else.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,330 contributors worldwide.