Ruins of the Convent of Santa Maria di Costantinopoli in Celso

Just before the village of Celso, on the hill of the Madonna di Costantinopoli, rise the imposing ruins of a convent complex. According to tradition it was founded by refugees who fled the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and wished to keep alive the cult of their lost homeland with an image of the Virgin bending down to put out the flames of a city.In 1610 the chapel was given to the Augustinians, who founded a convent there. We love walking among the remains, where you can make out rooms, underground spaces, the cloister, the mighty arches of the outer walls and the chapel with traces of frescoes. On the plateau in front, a fair has been held since the 1930s on the Monday after Pentecost: we recommend visiting with care.