The Hermitage of San Michele dates back to 830.
This sacred place is located at 1220 meters above sea level in the territory of Maranola, a suburb of Formia, a mountain that smells the sea breeze a few kilometers away from it.
The structure was rebuilt in 1893, when Archbishop Francesco Niola visited it.
A necessary renovation to avoid further structural damage of the entire complex caused by water, since the area is rich in spring water and the rock is subject to continuous percolation.
Inside there is the statue of St. Michael the Archangel.
The legend says that it was the statue of the Archangel Michael himself to indicate the exact point of its position inside the chapel carved into the rock, facing west.
The statue of the Saint was once along the coast of Gianola.
From there, as it was tired of the scurrilous language of sailors, disappeared without a trace and then was found on Mount Altino, right where it wanted to be venerated.
The statue wanted to change air and went up in altitude without ever losing sight of the sea and chose a cavity of the rock, right where the chapel is now.
