Positano, Don Raffaele Celentano tells us about the devotion to San Vito and the history of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta

Positano. We met Don Raffaele Celentano, parish priest of Montepertuso. Not only a highly respected priest but Don Raffì, as everyone affectionately calls him, is also a great scholar and writer.
Just recently he presented his book “The church of S. Maria di Positano”, a volume written years ago that contains an important research work in which the history and anecdotes of the Mother Church emerge.
Don Raffì, among other things, told us about the patron saint San Vito: «The devotion to San Vito comes from the Piana del Sele. He was one of the seven auxiliary saints, part of a group of saints of the Christian tradition of the first centuries ».
And then he deepened the history of Church of Santa Maria Assunta as detailed in his book.
According to the historiographical tradition, the religious building, originally consecrated to San Vito, it owes its construction to the Benedictine monks who were in a small monastery near the urban center of medieval Positano: some documents testify to its existence as early as the 10th century.
If we listen instead to popular beliefs, this place of worship was born later, in the 12th century, on the occasion of the arrival in the village of a small boat of monks who brought with them a Byzantine icon: the same one that, during a storm, the religious to stop there pronouncing the order “pose, pose!”. Following this miraculous event, the population decided to erect a new church, the same one that can still be seen today.

Positano, the beautiful homily of Don Adriano on the solemnity of San Vito: “We must make more room for God in our hearts”