The Montevergine, also known as Partenio or Monti di Avella, is a limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

 massif

Massif

In geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole...

 in Campania

Campania

Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...

, central Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, part of the Apennine

Apennine

-Other places on Earth:*The Apennine or Italian peninsula*Apennins, a department of the first French Empire-Plants and animals:*The Apennine , a modern breed of domestic sheep.*Apennine Shrew, an insectivore endemic to Italy...

 chain. It is located near Avellino

Avellino

Avellino is a town and comune, capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains 42 km north-east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento.-History:Before the Roman conquest, the...

, in the comune

Comune

In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...

of Mercogliano

Mercogliano

Mercogliano is a town and comune in the province of Avellino, Campania, Italy.It is home to the Montevergine Catholic sanctuary....

. It has slopes covered by chestnut and beech

Beech

Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...

 trees, up to some 1,480 m over the sea level.

Under the peak, at some 1,270 m, is the Sanctuary of Montevergine, which attract numerous pilgrims. It was consecreated in 1124 near the ruins of a temple of Cybele

Cybele

Cybele , was a Phrygian form of the Earth Mother or Great Mother. As with Greek Gaia , her Minoan equivalent Rhea and some aspects of Demeter, Cybele embodies the fertile Earth...

. The new basilica, built in 1961, is home to a Byzantine icon of the 13th century. The abbey palace was designed by Domenico Antonio Vaccaro

Domenico Antonio Vaccaro

Domenico Antonio Vaccaro was an Italian painter, sculptor and architect, the son and pupil of Lorenzo Vaccaro. Lorenzo was in turn a pupil of Cosimo Fanzago and was part of a large family of artists including Andrea Vaccaro, a pupil of Girolamo Imparato.Domenico Antonio was born in Naples and his...

, and has an octagonal plan. The Sanctuary is the cathedral of the Territorial Abbey of Montevergine

Territorial Abbey of Montevergine

The Territorial Abbey of Montevergine is a Roman Catholic territorial abbey located in the city of Montevergine in the Ecclesiastical province of Benevento in Italy.-History:...

.