Rocca San Felice

The Ansanto Valley (Valle d'Ansanto) near Rocca San Felice in Campania hosts a sanctuary dedicated to Mefitis, an Oscan-Sabellian goddess of waters, fertility, and the threshold between worlds. The cult dates to at least the 6th-5th century BC and the site served as the federal sanctuary of the Irpini Samnites. Volcanic gas emissions produce a sulphurous lake (Lacus Amsancti), regarded by ancient peoples as an entrance to the underworld. Excavations yielded terracotta votive offerings including seated women, pregnant figures, and agricultural implements. Virgil described the site in the Aeneid's seventh canto. The sanctuary remained active until the 4th century AD when Christianity replaced the cult.