The transverse nave, or transept, which enlarged and extended the original church dedicated to Our Lady, must also have been the work of the tireless Father Federico De Manlion, both because, as we shall see, it already existed in 1693, and because there is no mention in the archival sources of this significant extension to the ancient sanctuary.
This new structure, which was added to the three existing naves, incorporating them into a single building and giving the entire sacred complex the shape of a Latin cross, was wider and taller than the older section in front of it and undoubtedly provided the whole church with more space, more light and greater accessibility.
The only side on which it was possible to carry out such a project was the eastern side, facing the river. To this end, the rear wall of the original temple was demolished and a new hall was built, which was very simple in appearance, without any ornamentation or decoration.
On the new rear wall, in line with the central nave, a new chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary was erected, complete with an altar, a throne and a lunette window above it. In the two opposite walls, to the north and south, two large windows were opened at the top on each side to provide light and air, whilst at the bottom, at ground level, two exit doors were situated, one to the north and the other to the south.
On either side of the Chapel of Our Lady, which remained empty when the building was first constructed, two further altars were added at a later date, each surmounted by a lunette window, which were considerably lower than the central one, as is clearly shown in another old photograph of the sanctuary, which depicts this rear section of the church.
The sum required to carry out these works – which, given the scale of the work undertaken, must also have been substantial, certainly came from the offerings that the devotees made to the sanctuary year after year, either during their visits to the Madonna or by welcoming the male and female alms-seekers (the hermits) from Canneto, who went there for the harvests of wheat, olive oil or other foodstuffs, as would happen so often in the centuries that followed. Offerings were therefore made in cash, gold and kind.
However, the heart and soul of that entire undertaking – which, given the difficulties of the location and the times, can truly be described as a great achievement – was the abbot of the time, Father Federico De Manlion, who, thanks in part to his long tenure as abbot of Canneto, which lasted over thirty, if not forty, years, he was able to carry out – obviously in stages and in accordance with the sanctuary’s financial resources – his ambitious project to provide the Church of the Virgin with essential facilities and to extend the church building with a new wing.
The aim he set himself in carrying out these projects is explicitly stated in the aforementioned anonymous manuscript from Montecassino: so that the people might maintain their devotion to the Mother of God and the numerous relics kept here might not be lost.
There were therefore two major attractions for the crowds in Canneto: the Church of the Madonna Bruna, which was becoming increasingly welcoming, thanks above all to the donations of the faithful, and the considerable collection of relics preserved there, a guarantee of protection from the respective saints in heaven.
In conclusion. This sacred complex of Canneto, which was renovated and enlarged in the early decades of the 16th century – as described in sufficient detail here – remained largely unchanged in its general structure, apart from repair and consolidation work necessitated by bad weather and earthquakes, for a further three centuries until the new restoration and extension works of 1853–57.
Taken from the book by Monsignor Dionigi Antonelli - La chiesa di S. Maria di Canneto: dalle antiche costruzioni all'attuale ristrutturazione generale