Italian
The column “Art, Culture, History and Archaeology” curated by Carlo Franchini continues. A journey to discover the beauties, curiosities, and charm of Italy and the world, from yesterday to today.
Texts, photos, and videos by Carlo Franchini
A mountain park overlooking the sea. This is how the official website of the Maiella National Park presents this extraordinary place!
The Park is located between the provinces of Pescara, L’Aquila, and Chieti and encompasses the Maiella massif, the Morrone and Pizzi mountains, and the Monte Porrara group, all within an unspoiled natural setting. Inside, an excellent ecosystem supports an incredible wealth of flora and fauna. The flora includes over 2300 varieties of plants, while the fauna features many species, including the Marsican bear, chamois, wolves, deer, wild boars, golden eagles, hawks, and much more.
From a geological perspective, the Maiella is also a very interesting park[1].
But the purpose for which I am here concerns the rock-hewn hermitages hidden among the mountains, churches carved into the rock or inside caves. Testimonies of the past that have struck me since I was young when, in Ethiopia, where I was born and lived for a long time, I ventured into the “discovery” of the unique places of worship hidden among the rocks of the Gheralta mountains, in Tigray, a region in the north of the country, rich in rock-hewn hermitages, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thus, my great passion was born. A passion that has never left me.
I wanted to take a closer look at the most evocative hermitages of Maiella, those of San Bartolomeo Legio and Santo Spirito.
I imagined that they, finding themselves in the context of a wild and enchanting nature, would convey that deep sense of spirituality, mystery, and the strength of faith that I had discovered many years earlier on a different continent. I was not mistaken!
With two friends, we leave the highway at Torre de Passeri Casauria heading to Caramanico Terme, which will be the base for our excursions. We are inside the park.
The scenario is captivating from the start.
High snow-covered mountains alternate, in a continuous rise and fall, with lush plains of vegetation, in a natural, wild, and captivating setting that offers wonderful shades of color. The sun disappears on the horizon and the sky is painted in pastel colors where pink and blue blend, slowly fading as the first stars appear.
Caramanico Terme, which dates back to the 7th century, is listed among the most beautiful villages in Italy. The town extends harmoniously and orderly from the top down. The streets of the village are adorned with a pavement featuring geometric designs in black and white. Strolling through the narrow alleys in the evening, illuminated by a soft light, in complete silence, is truly enchanting!
In the early morning, in just over half an hour of travel, we reach Macchie di Coco near the village of Roccamorice. From here, we continue on foot along a hiking trail that will take us to the hermitage of San Bartolomeo in Legio.
We cross a dense vegetation to emerge on the ridge of the mountain, which offers a spectacular view of the valley in front of us, at the end of which flows the river Orfento. The stops are continuous because one could never finish taking photos. The path is steep and downhill. After less than an hour, we reach a short tunnel carved into the rock, which leads to the “balcony” of a large cave, at the end of which, embedded in the mountain wall, stands the hermitage of San Bartolomeo in Legio.
Walking along the balcony about halfway through the path, the “Holy Stairs” allows you to reach the lower part of the monastery.
This extraordinary place of worship, dedicated to Saint Bartholomew, was restored on the ruins of an ancient hermitage from the 11th century by Peter of Morrone, who would become Pope Celestine V. [2] The church carved into the rock is small, 7.70 meters long and 4 meters wide.
At the top, on the facade of the entrance, the fresco of Christ, although damaged by time, reveals the characteristic valuable artistic traits of the era. The niche of the church houses the statue of Saint Bartholomew holding a knife in remembrance of his martyrdom which occurred by flaying. [3]
The place instills peace and serenity. No visual contamination, only the bare wet rock and below the lush vegetation, nor acoustic, because only the distant song of a few birds, the gentle blowing of the wind, and the flowing water of the river that runs at the foot of the mountain can be heard.
In the middle of the “balcony”, water flows from the rock, considered miraculous just like the waters from the springs that gush from the rocks of the rock churches in Ethiopia, also believed to have healing powers.
I descend the steps of the “Holy Stairs” carved in stone, and the facade of the hermitage under a rock arch, overhanging and protected by a wall, displays all its beauty and the charm of distant times.
Always accompanied by a wonderful nature in a unique setting, but this time, comfortably by car, we continue our journey and reach the Hermitage of Santo Spirito.
The legend tells that in the deep of the night of August 29, 1248, Pietro da Morrone (who would become Pope Celestine V), as was his custom, withdrew in prayer among the ruins of the old monastery when he had a vision: Saint John the Evangelist was celebrating the holy mass in the plain at the foot of the Maiella in front of Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Saint John the Baptist. At that very moment, a white dove took flight, dropping at the feet of Pietro da Morrone a scroll that read: “in this place you will build the Church that you will dedicate to the Holy Spirit”. [4]
There are traces of the first settlements of hermits in this place dating back to the 8th century, but it was in the 13th century that the complex was rebuilt by Pietro da Morrone under the name of Eremo di Santo Spirito. More than a hermitage, it is an abbey built against the mountain, carved out of the rock, creating passages and tunnels that overlook the surrounding valley, which can be admired from the windows carved in stone and from various viewpoints protected by small walls. A collection of buildings restored over time, including a small chapel, which became the home of shepherds, and in 1546 the monk Pietro Santucci di Manfredonia[5] transformed it into a church. At a lower level, one can visit the “room of the crucifix” where Pietro da Morrone would go to pray and his bed. A protected path leads us into the depths of this mountain of great spiritual charm. Along the walls of the galleries, there are numerous religious sculptures. Here, silence is broken only by our footsteps on the rock. Sunlight streams through the small stone windows. It is truly an enchanting place. We go up and down, moving through galleries, tunnels, and staircases to access the various rooms, little more than niches, enveloped in a surreal yet intense atmosphere. I believe that in places like this, reflections on Creation, on “Man,” and on the magic of planet Earth come to mind for everyone, regardless of faith. These are places where one finds oneself powerfully in silence, among rocks that tell of tenacity and strength in the determined search for isolated, rugged, and hard-to-reach places, but essential for deep meditation. A human need that I have encountered in many places around the world, far apart from each other, such as the rock churches of Gheralta in Ethiopia that I mentioned, those in Cappadocia, places of worship in Tibet, India, China, and beyond.
The sun is about to set behind the mountain range with its snow-capped peaks. An extraordinary light ignites the green of the vegetation. Soon, darkness will fall.
It’s time to go back.
I believe that words are not enough to describe the beauty of this small part of the Maiella park, which has much more to tell. I hope the images better represent the feelings experienced. Enjoy the view!
[1] “From a geological point of view, the Majella is the most unique massif of the Apennines. Its limestones were mostly deposited starting 100 million years ago on the bottom of a tropical sea rich in life, as evidenced by numerous fossils; its orogenesis is recent (Pliocene, 5 million years ago).” Source https://www.parcomajella.it/la-geologia-del-parco.htm.
[2] In 1274, Celestine V stayed for two years in this hermitage on his return from the journey he made to Lyon to obtain the official recognition of the Celestine congregation from Pope Gregory X.
“A singular journey, on the back of a donkey and escorted by Charles of Anjou, was that of July 1294 for the old hermit of Maiella, Pietro Angelerio, who from the hermitage of Morrone reached L’Aquila to be crowned Pope under the name of Celestine V in the basilica of Collemaggio. Days of extraordinary changes for the poor Pietro, who would leave an indelible mark on the Church. After four months of pontificate, the resignation and the flight to the east, the capture in Vieste and the death as a prisoner in the fortress of Fumone.“ Source: https://www.parcomajella.it/il-cammino-di-celestino-3.htm
[3] “Bartholomew … was one of the twelve apostles who followed Jesus… His name then appears in the list of the twelve sent by Christ to preach and, again, in the Acts of the Apostles, where he is listed along with the other apostles after the resurrection of Christ. From this moment on, nothing more is known, only tradition recounts his missionary life in various regions of the Middle East including Mesopotamia. According to some, he may have ventured as far as Atropatene and India. His death is also attributed to tradition, which claims he was killed, flayed, according to some sources by the king of the Medes in the region of Syria, while other sources speak of Atropatene.
… The statue is carried in procession by the faithful on August 25 after descending to the Capo la Vena stream to bathe according to a very ancient ritual, and then bringing the effigy of the saint to the village church (Roccamorice), where it remains until the second Saturday of September.” Source: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartolomeo_(apostolo)
[4] https://www.tesoridabruzzo.com/roccamorice-eremo-di-santo-spirito-a-majella/
[5] https://www.centrostudidelgargano.it/2018/11/23/the-venerable-pietro-santucci-from-manfredonia-a-great-exorcist-of-the-seventeenth-century/
