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Cave of the herbalist

Year of construction Sconosciuta

AddressGravina di S. Stefano

Coordinates40.621258,16.915713

Rupestrian settlement

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Cave of the herbalist

Exterior

Rediscovered in 1977, this cave overlooking the ravine of St. Stephen was used by herbalist monks to produce and store herbs and ointments.

Interior

The most impressive feature of this cave are the walls, completely made up of 40 cm deep niches arranged in an almost perfectly regular chessboard. On the right wall there is a void space of about 120 cm. per 60 where the rock takes a reddish hue that seems a human figure with a reclined head, but it is only an optical effect. The floor has five holes dug in it, where the monks probably processed the herbs and lit the fire.

The openings in the west wall are windows, including the one from which the cave can be accessed. The original entrance is the internal stone staircase leading to a small open space where other caves of the settlement open out. Another small staircase leads to the bottom of the ravine, once an asset of great relevance for different economic activities together with Montecamplo, the hill overlooking Castellaneta and also known as “Monte d’Oro” (Golden Mount) for its rich variety of herbs.