# Church of Sant'Antonio da Padova **At a glance:** The church of Sant'Antonio da Padova, known as “al Mortito”, is the parish church of the Perrone district, near the cemetery. Founded as a private chapel in 1692, it was the only church in Casamicciola to come through 1883 unscathed and served as the parish seat for a year. The present building was inaugurated in 1950. ## Useful information - **Type:** Churches, faith and traditions - **Address:** Via Cumana, 80074 Casamicciola Terme NA - **Period:** 1692; present church 1937–1950 - **Coordinates:** 40.750422, 13.920444 - **Where:** Via Cumana, Mortito hill, near the cemetery - **Area:** Perrone, between the harbour and Castiglione - **Founded:** Chapel founded by Cesare Corbera by deed of 7 April 1692 - **Present church:** Work from 1937, inaugurated in 1950; parish since 1955 - **Feast day:** Sant'Antonio da Padova, 13 June - **Don't miss:** The monumental statue of the saint on the Mortito (1971) ## A 17th-century chapel on the Mortito The church of Sant'Antonio da Padova (St Anthony of Padua) stands on the Mortito hill, in the Perrone district, near Casamicciola's cemetery. Its origins go back to Cesare Corbera, a wealthy local landowner and brother-in-law of San Giovan Giuseppe della Croce, the Franciscan saint from Ischia: it was because of this link that the chapel was dedicated to the saint of Padua, also a Franciscan. By a deed of 7 April 1692 Corbera founded the little church on his own land, reserving the right of patronage for himself and his heirs. It could hold little more than fifty people. A legend handed down for centuries tells that St Anthony himself wanted it built: the saint is said to have appeared to a paralysed woman praying before a wayside shrine dedicated to him and, after healing her, asked her to build a chapel on the spot. The story explains the intense devotion, still very much alive, of the people of Casamicciola and the neighbouring towns. ## History After the Corbera family the church passed to the Mancusi, who entrusted its running to several Perrone families; among them the Lombardi family stood out, producing the priests Don Giuseppe and Don Antonio. In 1883 it was the only one of the town's churches to come through unscathed. Here Don Giuseppe Morgera, appointed parish priest after the death of the auxiliary bishop Carlo Mennella, took possession of the parish and kept its seat here for about a year, before moving it to the [Buon Consiglio church](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/church-santa-maria-del-buon-consiglio/) on Piazza Marina. In 1934 the little church passed to the Diocese of Ischia. Perrone, which had grown considerably after 1883, needed a larger building: work began in 1937, as recorded by the plaque on the façade, with volunteer labour from local people who carried the stones of the Mortito on their shoulders. Interrupted by the war, building resumed and in 1950 the new church was inaugurated, while the old chapel was demolished. By decree of 19 March 1955 Bishop Ernesto De Laurentiis made it a parish, initially under the title of San Giuseppe in Sant'Antonio, inherited from the parish founded in 1947 in the [church of San Giuseppe](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/church-of-san-giuseppe/); since 1986 its title has been Parish of Sant'Antonio da Padova. ### Architecture and works of art The plain façade alternates bands of exposed masonry with plastered bands. The interior, covered by a lunetted barrel vault, is restrained: the high altar in polychrome marble and the wooden statues of the Sacred Heart and the Madonna stand out. On the marble throne a 19th-century wooden statue of the saint, donated by a monastery in Umbria, is venerated; the earlier terracotta statue by the Mennella brothers, dating from 1850, is now in the shrine on the district's square. ## The monumental statue and traditions On the side of the Mortito facing the Perrone plain stands a statue of St Anthony with the Christ Child, about three metres tall, modelled in terracotta by the sculptors Girolamo (Gemì) and Giovan Giuseppe Mennella. It was inaugurated on 13 June 1971, the saint's feast day, the same day as the new marina, which the saint was symbolically meant to protect. In June the community recites a traditional rosary in dialect in honour of St Anthony. ## Restoration On 24 July 2024 the diocese began consolidation and restoration work on the parish church. For opening times and accessibility, it is best to check with the parish. ## Where it is and how to get there The church is in the Perrone area, between Via Cumana and the coast road, Via Salvatore Girardi, just over a kilometre from the harbour. You can reach it on foot from the seafront or by the buses on the coastal route. ### What to see nearby A short distance away are the Passionist Fathers' [church and monastery of San Gabriele](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/church-monastery-san-gabriele-addolorata/) and [Monastery Beach](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/sea-and-beaches/monastery-beach-spiaggia-del-convento/). For the history of the mother parish, see the [basilica of Santa Maria Maddalena](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/basilica-sacred-heart-santa-maria-maddalena/). ## Frequently asked questions ### Why is the church called “al Mortito”? Mortito is the name of the Perrone hill on which it stands, near Casamicciola's cemetery. The same name is used for the great statue of the saint that towers above it. ### Why was the parish based here in 1883? According to the sources, the small church of Sant'Antonio was the only one in town to come through 1883 unscathed: that is why Casamicciola's parish was based here in 1883–1884, while the new churches were awaited. ### When is St Anthony's feast celebrated in Casamicciola? The saint's feast day is 13 June; during June a traditional rosary is also recited in dialect. It was on 13 June 1971 that the monumental statue on the Mortito was inaugurated. ### How tall is the statue of St Anthony? The terracotta statue, the work of Girolamo and Giovan Giuseppe Mennella, is about three metres tall, not counting its protective structure. It can be seen from much of the island's north coast. ## Also worth seeing - [Church and Monastery of San Gabriele dell'Addolorata](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/church-monastery-san-gabriele-addolorata/) - [Church of Santa Maria del Buon Consiglio](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/church-santa-maria-del-buon-consiglio/) - [Church of San Giuseppe](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/church-of-san-giuseppe/) - [Basilica of the Sacro Cuore di Gesù and Santa Maria Maddalena Penitente](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/basilica-sacred-heart-santa-maria-maddalena/) - [Monastery Beach](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/sea-and-beaches/monastery-beach-spiaggia-del-convento/) - [History of Casamicciola](https://visitcasamicciola.com/en/history/) ## Sources and further reading - [Wikipedia – Chiesa di Sant'Antonio al Mortito](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiesa_di_Sant%27Antonio_al_Mortito) - [Wikipedia – Statua di Sant'Antonio (Casamicciola Terme)](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statua_di_Sant%27Antonio_(Casamicciola_Terme)) - [Catalogo generale dei Beni Culturali (SIGEC) – Chiesa di S. Antonio da Padova al Mortito](https://sigecweb.beniculturali.it/sigec/item/print/ICCD14714872) - [Diocesi di Ischia, Ufficio tecnico – Comunicato inizio lavori S. Antonio da Padova (luglio 2024)](https://www.chiesaischia.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/comunicato-s-antonio-da-padova-inizio-lavori.pdf)