Please tell us what do you think, any kind of feedback is highly appreciated.
Thank you! We got your message
Oops! Something went wrong filling out the form..
Scala has been Christian since its foundation and the Scalesi are very religious people. Monsignor Cesario d'Amato, whose memories of the area are precious, wrote that within Scala flourished communities of men and women who embraced a life of spiritual obligations in search of perfection. At first arose Benedictine and Eastern rite monasteries, dedicated to contemplation and tending to be isolated, followed by the Augustinians, Dominicans and Redemptorists.
He is the most important figure in the history of Scala. Belonging to the noble Scalese family 'Saxo', he was an absolute protagonist in the tumultuous events of the Holy Land around the year 1000 during the first Christian crusades committed to facing Muslim dominance. A man of great charity and sense of organization, together with the Benedictine monks he welcomed Christian pilgrims to the hospital of Saint John the Baptist in Jerusalem, which was financed by Amalfitan merchants. After the Christian conquest in 1099, he was appointed Prior and founded the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem (Knights Hospitaller).
Blessed Fra Gerardo Sasso was born in the district of San Pietro. An old photograph depicts what remained of the inner courtyard of the Saxo family's building. Over the centuries the building underwent profound changes. Today only the four columns on which the cross vaults restare visible.
The Order of the Knights Hospitallers was founded to assist the needy and to defend Christianity with arms. When the Turks conquered Jerusalem in 1310, the Order was forced to move first to Cyprus, then to Rhodes and finally to Malta, hence the present name of the Order of the Knights of Malta. The conquest of Napoleon in 1801 forced the Knights to abandon the island. The Order continued to consider itself a sovereign entity deprived of a territorial state. It is currently based in Via Condotti in Rome, in a building that enjoys the guarantee of extraterritoriality.
Like many churches in the area, San Pietro also had a crypt which was later transformed into an ossuary. Today of the original frescoes, traces of a Knight of Malta still remain.
He was born in Marianella, Naples during the age of the Enlightenment. Revered for his simple and warm manner, as a child he demonstrated a prodigious talent in the most diverse artistic fields. A brilliant lawyer who, while still eighteen, left the profession due to the distortions of justice. Thus came a radical turning point whereby he chose to enter into priesthood in order to dedicate himself with passion to the poor and the dispossessed. He encountered Scala while retreating at the hermitage of Santa Maria dei Monti during a period of rest. Here he was able to take care of mountain shepherds and met another exceptional religious figure, Blessed Maria Crostarosa.
Just outside the center, hidden from street level, is the small church of Saint Alfonso. It lies on the Dragone valley with a wide view of the Amalfi sea. A compulsory destination for the Redemptorists was the secret place where Sant'Alfonso de' Liguori used to pray and where he experienced frequent visions of the Madonna. Of impressive beauty is the bare rock apsidal area behind the altar.
A woman of decisive and extroverted character, she was born in Naples and entered the Carmelite convent of Marigliano near Naples while very young. Upon moving to one of the new convents in Scala, she experienced visions where the Lord told her to found a new Order. Due to the impetus of her apparition, she was initially not believed. But soon Alfonso Maria de' Liguori's skepticism changed to great confidence. Out of the association of these two holy personalities, the Congregation of the Redemptorists and the Order of the Redemptorists were founded in Scala, and are still present today throughout the world.
Affectionately so-called for their dark red dresses, so far removed from the more usual black and white. The Redemptorists, much loved by the Scalesi, are strong symbols of identity for the whole community. Since its foundation the Order has experienced a notable diffusion: today, scattered throughout the world, there are forty two monasteries.
The monastery, located in the heart of the historic center, was founded in 1731 in an ancient noble palace which already being used the seat of the Order of the Visitandines. Every year the nearby guest house welcomes tourists from all over the world, fascinated by the profound faith that can be felt in these places.
The preparation of shortcrust pastry biscuits. The Redemptorists, who historically observed a rule of strict enclosure, today live in a style of open hospitality.
The decorated grate and the dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit. It is the ancient confessional through which the interactions between Sant'Alfonso and Santa Maria Crostarosa took place.
The lives of many religious figures are historically intertwined with the history of this country. Scalese life is marked by a long series of Christian holidays with events taking place throughout the year. Only those characteristic of Scala are listed and therefore national festivities should be considered additional.
Considered a very important date. The celebrations begin in the morning with a mass at the small cave of the Madonna in the area of the Carosa fountain, located in the woods of Santa Caterina. Not to be missed is the traditional picnic after the mass among the chestnut groves which the whole town partakes in.
In Scala there is a Brotherhood dedicated to Saint Joseph whose member swear a traditional yellow cape. In the evening the statue of the saint is carried in procession through the streets of the historic center and into the garden of the Redemptorist nuns' convent. The day concludes with a festive fireworks display.
The ceremony takes place at 7.00 pm in the evening. The vessel containing the consecrated host, the Body of Christ, is carried in procession. It is a civil and religious celebration: upon leaving the Duomo, the Mayor covers the head of the parish priest with an umbrella to symbolize the protection of the institutions. White hand-embroidered blankets are spread in windows as a sign of respect. In front of the churchyard of the Cathedral, a very colorful carpet of flower petals is set up by the young people of the town; custom has it that the procession can trample it only after returning to the Cathedral.
The patron saint of Pontone and the namesake of its church. The celebrations take place throughout the day: the first formal mass commencing at 10:00 am followed by a second one at 7:00 pm. The statue of the saint is carried in procession along the streets of the historic center before returning to the church. Later, the procession gathers in piazzetta San Giovanni, and the festivities continue with fireworks and music.
The protector of his namesake hamlet, the smallest of Scala, also called Campoleone. The ceremony begins at 7:00 pm with a Mass in the square's church. The procession then makes its way through the streets of the village and the festivities conclude with a fireworks display.
One of the patrons of the hamlet of Pontone. Mass is celebrated at 7:00 pm in the small square in front of the church of Santa Maria del Carmine. Following the mass, the statue is paraded through the streets of the ancient village. After a fireworks show the statue returns to the church and the festivities end with a musical performance.
The Saint, much loved for the events that tied his life to these places, is also a co-patron of Scala. Mass is celebrated at 7.00 pm in the cave of Sant'Alfonso. Held dear by the Redemptorist monks, this was the secret place where the Saint loved to retire in prayer. Accompanied by a band, the statue crosses the streets of the historic center in procession until it reaches the Cathedral.
The festival of the Patron Saint of Scala where, still today, a precious relic is preserved in the Duomo. The festival is deeply felt throughout the Amalfi Coast, beginning on the morning of August 9th when the statue of the Saint is exhibited for veneration by the faithful and the band delivers a musical performance in the square. On the evening of the 10th there is a procession through the streets, leading from the centre up to the district of San Pietro.In the evening, the band and a fireworks display close the celebrations in Piazza Duomo.
Santa Maria is the patron of the Santa Caterina district in whose namesake church Mass is celebrated at 7.00 pm. The procession marches along the road towards the valley and stops at the border of the hamlet of SanPietro.
The celebration is in honor of the medieval wooden crucifix housed in the Crypt of Paradise in the Duomo. Part of a triptych depicting the deposition from the Cross is the subject of profound veneration not only in Scala but throughout the Amalfi Coast. At 7.00pm Mass is celebrated in the Crypt. At the end of mass, the religious procession carries a replica of the original Crucifix in procession.
The two patron saints of the hamlet of Minuta. Mass is celebrated at 7:00 pm in the church of the Holy Annunciation. The procession weaves through the alleyways of the tiny medieval hamlet and is followed by a traditional firework display.
She is the Protectress of Campidoglio hamlet. Mass is celebrated at 6:00 pm in the small one-nave church of San Giovanni Decollato. The procession reaches the former church of Saint Annunziata, currently known as the Lorenzo Ferrigno Auditorium. The festival ends in the evening with a firework display.
She is the patron saint of the hamlet of Santa Caterina. Mass is celebrated at 6:00 pm in the church of the same name. The procession passes through the streets of the village of San Pietro. The celebrations ends with a firework display.
Known for donning their traditional blue cape during the procession are the devotees of the Madonna del Santissimo Rosario. Together with the Confraternity of Saint Joseph the Worker they constitute the active prayer groups in Scala.
A colorful carpet of flower petals in front of the Cathedral square. Tradition has it that it is trampled by the procession only when returning to the Cathedral.