The Hermitage of Santo Spirito a Majella

Petrarch, in his De vita solitaria, described this place as the perfect venue for spiritual ascent. Located in the territory of Roccamorice, in the province of Pescara, amidst the silence of the rocks and the majestic beech forests of the Maiella National Park, at an altitude of 1132 metres, the Hermitage of Santo Spirito a Majella welcomes you in a timeless atmosphere, full of intangible spirituality and mystical beauty.

Probably dating back before the year 1000, its first known inhabitant was Desiderio, the future Pope Victor III, who lived there in 1053 and, together with other hermits, built a small church. In 1246 it was restored by Pietro da Morrone, the future Pope Celestine V, who built the oratory and a small cell.

In 1596, the Hermitage gained the title of Abbey and the Holy Staircase leading to the oratory of Santa Maria Maddalena was built. Today, the site retains the church, sacristy and a two-storey residential unit that includes the guest quarters and cells. The hermitage is still inhabited by the monks of the Cerreto congregation, who live according to the ancient Celestine spirit of pure asceticism.

Learn more about the hermitage and all that it contains, a mix of natural simplicity and artistic prestige. The wooden portal of the church, the statue of St Michael Archangel and the tabernacle are by Giuseppe Di Bartolomeo of Roccamorice and date back to 1894. Other valuable works include paintings depicting the Madonna and the Descent of the Holy Spirit into the Upper Room, a wooden statue of Christ originally intended to be kept in the cell below the church, a bust of Pope Celestine V, and two 19th-century canvases depicting St. Joseph and St. Helena.

A true sacred museum in the heart of the Maiella nature reserve, extending well beyond the main church. In the lower part of the church there is the original core of the Celestinian Hermitage, carved entirely into the rocky boulder and with two entrances. One leads to the Hall of the Crucifix, a small space with an altar where traces of ancient decorative frescoes are still visible. To the right, a few steps lead to what was probably Pietro da Morrone's room. The second entrance leads to two rooms reserved for the burial of the princes Caracciolo di San Buono.

Next to the entrance to the guest quarters the Holy Staircase of 31 steps begins. Another staircase, also carved into the rock, has 76 steps. Along the rock walls, the Via Crucis is carved.

To reach the Magdalena complex, a small oratory still preserved today, there are two short stairs to the right of the guest quarters. There is also a small staircase leading to the cloistered area with a window and a small fireplace.

The Hermitage of Santo Spirito a Majella was the destination of many groups of pilgrims, who arrived there by climbing up the valley or crossing the mountain. It is a unique place to feel the simplicity of the Celestine principles and be enveloped by the spirituality of the surrounding nature.

Ph credit: Forcone (Tourist photographic archive of the Abruzzo Region)