Saint Blaise, lived in Armenia (Asia Minor) between the 3rd and 4th centuries. He was a doctor and was appointed bishop of his city, Sebaste. Because of his faith he was beheaded by the Romans. His body was buried in Sebaste, but in 732 he was shipped to Rome. Due to a storm, navigation stopped at Maratea and several fragments of his body were brought to various locations in Italy, which therefore boast possession of his miraculous relics. Among St Blaise's best-known miracles is the rescue of a child who was choking after swallowing a fishbone. This is why St Blaise is invoked by the faithful to heal diseases of the throat. His feast day is celebrated on 3 February.
The small church, dedicated to St Biagio, is located immediately outside the city walls, towards the northwest. Its small portico, a few steps from one of the town's medieval gates, was an almost obligatory stopping point for those entering Alvito coming from Vicalvi, following the ancient road that joined the two centres. Its construction dates back to the 18th century and was the private chapel of the Ferrante family. The small, single nave is covered by a barrel vault and an elliptical dome covers the presbytery, which is raised by one step and separated from the rest of the church by a balustrade. The portal is framed by a stone cornice that stands out against the plaster of the façade and is surmounted by an elliptical oculus. A small bell gable dominates the façade wall. The portico, through which the ancient street passes, opens onto the Comino Valley thanks to a large single-lancet window. Inside the church, a painting recalls the miracle of the fishbone. A second painting, of considerable workmanship, perhaps a fragment of a larger work, has as its subject the Virgin and Child.
