The site of S. Antuono Abate, is situated within an area favourable for the control of one of the most important roads in the region running along the Bradano valley. It lies a few kilometres from the fortified settlement of Altojanni (mid 12th -15th/16th century), already known as part of the areas historical-archaeological tradition.

The excavations were part of a project to restore, enhance, and promote the use of the sanctuary, commissioned by the municipality of Grottole using regional funds. They revealed important information regarding the presence of a late medieval church, which the excavation data, the structural characteristics known from publications and the local historiographical documentation show to have been in use between the end of the 11th-12th and the 17th centuries. Next to the first church structure, the archaeological remains, in accordance with the documentary sources, further defined the post-medieval stratigraphy characterising the site. Two main phases of re-organisation involving pre-existing structures were identified. Specifically, between the middle of 1600 and 1700, there was a progressive destructuralisation of the first church, the building of a series of rooms destined for communal use and the construction of the second church (still in use).The monument was completed in its present form during the 19th and 20th centuries. The sanctuary is still one of the most-visited by pilgrims in Basilicata, and the church is open for services during celebrations for the saint.