Located on a hill near Isernia, at about 400 meters above sea level, the Sanctuary of Saints Cosma and Damiano is a place of worship that has its roots in the religious and popular tradition of Molise. The current building dates back to 1523, although a first chapel may have been built as early as 1130, although there is no reliable documentary evidence. The church is dedicated to the two brothers doctors martyred under the emperor Diocletian and inside it preserves relics kept in silver busts of the seventeenth century and small plaster statues.
The architecture has a unique nave with coffered ceiling, an apse and frescoes of Neapolitan school that tell the life and miracles of the saints. One of the peculiarities of the sanctuary is the collection of ex-votos: painted tablets, photographs, symbolic objects and anthropomorphic figures that testify to popular devotion, especially related to fertility.
Not by chance, according to some historical testimonies, the sanctuary would have arisen on the remains of an ancient pagan temple dedicated to Priapus, god of virility. The continuity of a cult of fertility, although transfigured in a Christian form, was also reported by the English diplomat William Hamilton in the eighteenth century. Her letter, though controversial, described rituals with phallic symbols and practices related to the desire for motherhood, attracting the interest of European travellers.
Every year, on 26 and 27 September, the sanctuary becomes the scene of a very heartfelt vigil: the first day is attended by local inhabitants, the second by those from the city of Isernia. The relics are brought in procession from the cathedral to the sanctuary and the faithful receive as a gift bottles of blessed oil.
The sanctuary, with its sixteenth-century portico and scenographic staircase of access, stands out for the contrast between the sobriety outside and the richness of the interior. A perfect example of how faith, art and memory of the past come together in a unique, evocative place.