In the heart of Molise, a few kilometers from the town of Cercemaggiore, stands the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Libera, a sacred place rooted in a centuries-old tradition. According to legend, in 1412 a farmer, while plowing a field, accidentally found a wooden statue of the Madonna inside a large terracotta pot. From the spot where it was found, miraculous water gushed forth, capable of healing all ills. The statue was probably hidden during a time of iconoclastic danger and may have come from the church of Santa Maria a Casale, an ancient dependency of the monastery of San Lorenzo in Aversa.
The growing cult of Our Lady of Libera led to the building of a chapel in 1414, later destroyed by the 1456 earthquake. On the same site, in 1489, feudal lords Alberico Carafa and Giovannella di Molise founded a convent complex, entrusted to the Dominicans. The church, which has been renovated several times, still preserves the miraculous statue.
The shrine, 37 meters long and 12.54 meters wide, has a 20th-century facade with an iron rose window and statues, the result of 2011-2013 restorations. The entrance retains Renaissance elements and a wooden portal from 1787, while the interior, with a single nave and ten side chapels, is enriched by 19th-century stucco work, a mock dome, 16th-century holy water stoups, an 18th-century organ, and a friars’ crypt dated 1750.
Also notable are the works of art housed: the Madonna del Carmine canvas by Sebastiano Pascale (1612), wooden statues by Paolo Saverio di Zinno, and canvases by Nicola Fenico. Many decorative elements, such as tombstones and frescoes, were lost in the 2007 works. The wooden choir, dating from the 18th century, is now partially preserved, while three modern stained glass windows enrich the choir area.
The bell tower, built in 1503 and resized in 1699, houses three bells and ancient apotropaic faces. Finally, an ancient Roman funerary inscription and a wooden bench signed in 1773 are preserved in the sacristy.
A place of prayer and remembrance, the Shrine of Our Lady of Libera is now also home to the religious community “Mary Star of Evangelization,” and continues to attract faithful and visitors, a living witness to centuries of faith and art.