Immersed in a natural setting of rare beauty, between the slopes of the Mountain and the ancient Samnite routes, stands the Church of Santa Maria dell’Assunta “De Quatrano,” better known as Santa Maria a Quadrano, so called in reference to the feud that once belonged to the brothers Roberto and Luca Quatranum, mentioned in the Catalogue of Barons.. Located in a strategic area, the locality was for centuries a place of trade, markets and fairs, thanks in part to its proximity to archaeological remains dating back to Benedictine times (11th century) and an ancient Samnite fortification.
The religious complex consists of the Latin cross church and an adjoining hermitage built in 1732. The foundation stone was laid on June 3, 1721 by the vicar foraneo Archpriest Silvestri at the behest of Cardinal Vincenzo Maria Orsini, then Archbishop of Benevento, who years later would become Pope Benedict XIII. The project was supported financially by the pontiff himself, Abbot Gizzi of St. Sophia, and local faithful and religious institutions.
Inside, the church is embellished with polychrome stucco decorations and depictions of the four Evangelists, Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. The apse houses a splendid statue of the Assumption, dating from 1727, under a finely ornamented celestial vault. In the side chapels are altars dedicated to St. Lucy and St. Anthony, with statues from the former Augustinian convent in Contrada Sant’Andrea.
Next to the church two historic fountains testify to the importance of the site also as a refreshment and meeting point: a very old stone one with masks, the other more recent with a drinking trough. The site has been saved from decay by a recent restoration, which has returned a valuable artistic and spiritual heritage to the community.
A distinctive feature of the church is its past as a hermitage. The best known of the hermits was Fra’ Peppe (Giuseppe Padulo of Jelsi), who lived there from 1941 to 1971. After the loss of his wife, he followed an inwardly matured mystical vocation by consecrating himself to prayer and the care of the place. With the help of the inhabitants, he revived the traditional Devotion of Peppers in honor of the Assumption and Saint Lucy, celebrated every August 15 and 22, an event that still combines spirituality, conviviality and ancient Molisian flavors.