It is probable that the progressive decline of the sanctuary was caused by the foundation of the new city of Altamura, ordered by Emperor Frederick II of Swabia in 1236, which led to the abandonment of the old Bari-Matera road that had determined the fortune of this sanctuary, in favour of a more direct route towards the new centre.
Following its abandonment, the church above it fell into ruin; probably from the 16th-17th centuries, what remained of its walls was incorporated into the construction of a jazzo (an uncovered enclosure for the custody of flocks) composed of large, long lamioni to house, this time, shepherds and animals.
The masonry structures of the large jazzo and the large covered rooms to protect the livestock during cold and rainy periods are peculiar elements of the masserie predisposed to livestock breeding, correlated to the phenomenon of transhumance also in relation to the proximity of the Tratturello (sheep-track) No. 93 Grumo-Santeramo.
Water continued to be fundamental for sylvan-pastoral functions: a huge cistern, located to the east of the ancient church, collects rainwater from runoff and channelled from the roofs, to water livestock.
The masseria of the Sant’Angelo complex met a fate not unlike that of many other rural farms in the area, rendered obsolete and progressively abandoned due to the new economic and production realities that emerged in the early decades of the 20th century.
Like a fossil, in memory of the ancient cult, the ancient place name Sant’Angelo persists in the topography of the area.