On the site of the prodigious discovery in 1412 of a precious wooden statue depicting the praying Madonna, later venerated under the title of Santa Maria della Libera, there arose a small church that in the 15th century, thanks to the devotion and munificence of Alberico Carafa and his wife Giovannella di Molise, was transformed into a large complex that also included the convent.
The Dominicans from Naples were called to run the place, remaining there for more than five centuries during which the shrine and convent prospered, becoming one of the most important places in southern Italy. Evidence of that long past can be found in the many works of art found in both the church and the convent: frescoes from the 16th and 17th centuries, canvases with sacred subjects from the same centuries, wooden statues from the 18th and 19th centuries, votive offerings, wooden, stone and marble furnishings, and so on.