The ancient town of Castel San Flaviano, called Castrum Novum during the Roman domination, for 4 centuries residence of the Aprutinum civic and military power, in 1382 was given by Carlo III from Durazzo to the feudal lords Acuaviva, giving to the Duke of Atri the title of Earl. Nowadays we can admire, dating back to the ancient Castrum, the church of Santa Maria a Mare, whose main door, of the atrian school (beginning of the XIV century), is rich in original and enigmatic bas-reliefs.

In 1470 Giuliantonio Acquaviva d'Aragona, duke of Atri and Earl of San Flaviano and Conversano, instead of rebuilding the town (destroyed by a battle between Aragonesi and Angioini) , preferred to build up a new one on a place healthier than the marshy previous one and so he chose a hill in front of the sea, which he called Giulia Nova. A sumptuous palace, residence of the Earl, and a duomo, one of the most beautiful and original buildings in Abruzzo, were built in the main square. The duomo, dedicated to San Flaviano, was embellished by the patron's holy relics and by other works of art that once decorated the ancient temple of Castel San Flaviano. The years from 1400 to 1557 were characterized by famine, invasions, destructions, wars and plague.

On April 22th, 1557, Our Lord wanted to give a sign of his divine goodness by making the people of Giulianova know the Virgin of Splendore". So it is written in the first chronicle which the Prior Father, Don Pietro Capullo (Celestino), wrote from 1657 to 1674.
The apparition of the Virgin, as a matter of fact, took place between the last years of 1400 and the first years of 1500, because a book published in Bologna in 1549 speaks about the Sanctuary of the Splendore. Even a book published in Naples in 1552 quotes the prior Don Pietro Capullo "from Giulia Nova".

While a humble woodcutter named Bertolino was resting under an elm-tree, the Virgin "surrounded by a marevellous light" appeared to him. The Virgin told the man: "Come on, Bertolino, stand up and go to tell the hinabitants that the Great Mother of God has chosen this place as Her residence. Tell the clergy to come and honour me here, and to build a sanctuary where I am now". Two times Bertolino went to the governor to inform him of the apparition, but he was laughed at and driven out. But, encouraged by the Virgin, Bertolino went back to the town and managed to speak to the dukes.

The man told them the words pronounced by the Virgin, but even this time they didn't believe him. Anyway, while Bertolino was being beaten, the Madonna appeared and set him free, paralyzing and making the striker dumb. Everyone understood to have witnessed a supernatural event. So, the clergy and the inhabitants were summoned, and they all went in procession to the place indicated by Bertolino. As an everlasting proof of the extraordinary event the Madonna made a source of water gush from the elm-tree, which still exists nowadays. The news of the miracle spread everywhere and a great crowd of people arrived to the elm-tree. Even Berolino's aggressor went to the place to apologize to the Madonna, who ih her great goodness wanted to make her first grace by giving him back the use of his legs and his voice.

Since that day the hill has attracted pilgrims from all social extraction, and the devotion spread among the inhabitants of the nearby regions so that it became necessary to build up a Sanctuary dedicated to the Madonna of the Splendour.

Both the rich and the poor people made their donations to carry the Madonna's desire out. An ancient tradition says that the elm-tree near which the Madonna appeared was divided into pieces among the believers, and a part of it was embedded in the sanctuary walls.
Some years later the Sanctuary was restructured and enlarged according to artistic criteria finer than the previous ones. The high altar was rebuilt, and the statue of the Madonna was put over it. An external vestibule was built and the monastery was enlarged because of the many friars who preferred to remain there after the apparition of the Virgin to Padre Romano. One night, after kneeling down in front of the Madonna's statue, Padre Romano realized that the statue wasn't at its place anymore. Thinking that it had been stolen, he ran out towards the town to advise the inhabitants, but near the walls he saw tha statue surrounded by a dazzling light. The father begged the Virgin to go back to the Sanctuary, and she reassured him that she had gone out only to protect her loved town, and that she would go back at dawn. And so it was.
The monastery and the church were donated to the city hall, which in 1870 gave the building to the local charitable institution so that the monastery was used as hospital and the church opened to the believers. In 1914 the hospital administration abusively built two more floors. The custody of the Sanctuary was given back to the Fathers Cappuccini. The Sanctuary, after many misadventures, flourished again thanks to the pilgrims' offerings; in 1937 new works began, and after 22 years the original church of 200 square metres was changed into the church with the form of a cross which we can still admire at present. It has three altars, a large choir, side halls and an arcade in front of. In 1946, after the end of the second world war, the inhabitants of Giulianova, grateful to the Virgin for saving the town from destruction, wanted to build up a new high altar, with a small temple where the statue of the Madonna was placed.