Altar realized inside the Cave of Saint Michael, in the locality “I Profeti” of the municipality of Liberi, Caserta, Italy. The cave-sanctuary is dedicated to the Archangel Michael and seems to be consecrated in the IX century, superimposing the Christian cult over a preceding cult of fertility. In the cave there are, in fact, some stalactites and stalagmites having globular shapes and resembling female breasts. The water dripping from these rock formations is regarded as having miraculous properties and is employed to cure eye or ear diseases. But above all, the cave with the water which springs out of it are deemed efficacious for the fertility of women, and even today the place is visited by women who wish to have children. Inside the cave, the women were accustomed (and are still today) to rub themselves against a stalagmite having the shape of a shell, which would have assured them a forthcoming pregnancy. In the month of May, the cave is furthermore object of a pilgrimage, gathering numerous worshippers from the neighboring region.

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