The patron saint of Pescopagano is Saint Francis of Paola, celebrated from 30 June to 2 July with the traditional «flight of the angel».
The town, perched on a cliff overlooking the Ofanto valley with views stretching over 25 km, preserves the remains of a castle first reliably recorded in 1164, under Count Gionata di Balvano; today little remains but ivy-covered boulders. The history of Pescopagano is marked by high seismic activity: the most severe earthquakes were those of 15 January 1466, 8 September 1694, which destroyed almost the entire town and buried over six hundred people, and 23 November 1980, which caused around twenty victims.
About 5 km from the town centre, on the summit of Mount Montemauro, stands the sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin, also called Madonna di Mauriello after a vanished hamlet: the small church, restored several times, probably dates from the 11th or 12th century and, according to local historian G. Bruno, may be mentioned in a bull sent by Pope Innocent III to the Archbishop of Conza in 1200. Its feast, with a pilgrimage, is celebrated on the last Sunday of May.
