The Church of St Thomas Becket is located near the village of Caramanico Terme, in Abruzzo. It is also known as the Church of St Thomas of Paterno, after the name by which the locality has been known since the 8th century. A National Monument since 1902, it is said to have been founded in AD 45 following the apparition of the archangels Michael and Gabriel to a certain Antimus of Antioch, a disciple of St Peter. The church is said to have been built on the site of an ancient temple dedicated to Hercules, as small bronze statues depicting the pagan god have been found there and the church’s crypt contains a spring, which was necessary for performing the ancient rituals dedicated to the god.