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Church · Sessa Aurunca (CE)

Rock Church of Santa Maria in Grotta

  • Visit: about 20 min
Pictured: Sessa Aurunca · Gianni Bencivenga · CC BY-SA 3.0 · resized

Church carved into the rock of the Roccamonfina volcano at Rongolise, a hamlet of Sessa Aurunca, with precious medieval frescoes.

In the hamlet of Rongolise, in Sessa Aurunca, lies one of the area's most fascinating surprises: the rock church of Santa Maria in Grotta, carved directly into the volcanic rock of Roccamonfina. Already recorded in the early 14th century as Santa Maria in cripta in the tithe registers, it holds one of the most important fresco cycles of medieval Campania.We like the style of the paintings, which combines the Byzantine tradition with the language of Montecassino. We suggest looking for the Madonna enthroned with the Child between two angels, considered the oldest fresco, the unusual Madonna del Latte (Nursing Madonna) and the Dormition of the Virgin on the left wall, with the apostles divided into two groups around Mary's bed. An intimate place, to be visited at leisure.

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