The flight into Egypt

The construction of this chapel, like that of the Annunciation, is much later than the original sixteenth-century “Jerusalem” project, and is also attributable to the theme of Marian devotion, which was established later. The artwork inside the chapel depicts a subject that commonly recurs in this tradition: the Flight into Egypt. Inside a simple square-plan building, the statues, which are not particularly refined in appearance, depict Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus fleeing to Egypt.

The figure who accompanies them, identified by some as San Vivaldo, is more likely St Anthony the Great, who was widely venerated in this area, as evidenced by a statue in the church of the nearby monastery. The pedestal supporting the statue of the Virgin displays the name of the artist and the year of execution: “Marianus Bondi fecit / A.D. 1836 Vola Terrano”; while the small castle visible in the background cannot be identified.