Church of San Giacomo Apostolo

Already existing in 1485, the year in which the family Campitelli became the ius patronage, the Church of San Giacomo Apostolo is the most ancient of Melissa. The building is located on a rocky spur at the top of the village, originally medieval high; is located near the castle, built in the next period. A popular tradition has it that the Count Francesco Campitelli, on the basis of its right of "ius primae noctis", at the end of every marriage ceremony between melissesi, expected in the vicinity of the Church of the bride to bring it through a gallery in his castle and enjoy the night. To prevent this unhealthy habit, in 1633 a populate killed the count. In memory of the episode, bloody in the same year the Community melissese would have erected in the church a monument obscene and a plaque that derideva count. This oral tradition, so dear to the Melissesi (a popular motto reads "we are all children of Count"), has been denied by the documents in the State Archive of Naples. Firstly Francesco Campitelli died in 1668 and was buried in the convent of the Capuchin Fathers of Strongoli. The funeral monument, which in fact has nothing to obscene, was erected but Francis himself Campitelli, to reiterate the power of Campitelli on the Church. In memory of the founders remains today, above the portal, the coat of arms of the Campitelli, represented by a light blue shield crossed by a silver stripe in light blu field, above which there is a lion and, under the stripe, three red roses with five petals. Today the building is now closed to worship.