We approach the Basilica of Santa Maria dell'Olmo in an aura of quiet beauty. Founded in 1482, when St. Francis of Paola laid the first stone of the sanctuary, it was elevated to the Minor Basilica in 1931 by Pope Pius XI.

The magnificent ceiling is adorned with paintings by Michele Ragolia depicting episodes from the life of St. Francis of Paola. On the high altar, dedicated to the Sacred Heart, there is a splendid bronze elm tree with an icon of the Madonna of Eternal Grace on its branches. At the foot of the tree, marble statues of saints linked to the history and spirituality of Cava testify to the deep devotion that pervades this sacred place. The name of the Basilica comes from an episode in the 11th century, when some shepherds found a painting among the branches of an elm tree, an event that led to the construction of a chapel that was later replaced by the current Sanctuary.