The Padula sacra project created in 2016 was born from the need to unite the ecclesial resources made up of the tangible and intangible heritage present in the area of Padula (Salerno). The city famous throughout the world for the monumental Certosa di San Lorenzo, a UNESCO heritage site, built in 1306 by Tommaso Sanseverino, is rich in artistic and architectural elements made up of churches, streets, statues and votive aedicules also made of local stone which bear witness to 1100 years of life , after leaving the Roman city of Cosilinum. Therefore, it is not possible to overlook the context in which the Carthusian site was built and above all to overlook two fundamental elements: the matter and the spirit of the Certosa.

The grandiose work built to house the Carthusian fathers was made entirely of Padula stone, dug in the heart of the town and at the same time the spirituality that the Carthusian monks themselves have lived for centuries, positively influencing the Faith and the cult of the city . One example among many is the painstaking devotion to the Archangel Michael, witnessed by the chapel of the Prior which in medieval times renewed the consecration of the city to the patron saint Michael in the year 916 with the building of the Mother Church and renewed the cult Archangel continuously venerated in the rock sanctuary of San Michele alle Grottelle (4th century).

These fundamental elements are intended to outline the present enhancement project for all the sites and all the local traditions, having three sites at heart: the Certosa, already valued by the Naples museum complex, the Sanctuary of San Michele alle Grottele, for which it is in progress and the Mother Church, which with the Padula Sacra strategy wants to network and transmit the Beauty of this city to the new generations and to the tourists who already numerous crowd the Certosa of the civic museums.

The Padula Sacra project is based on an idea of a community generating talent which intends both to enhance the architectural elements with the help of new technologies and to counteract the depopulation of the historic center through a specific and clear cultural, social and aggregative incentive.

Through the activation of institutional ecclesial university and association circuits and the contribution of positive energies also coming from “young” companies, a plan of Hope with a strong, shared and open identity is created: an experiential, sustainable and generative path of further growth actions.

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