Abbey of San Pietro in Valle, Ferentillo
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Abbey of San Pietro in Valle in Ferentillo

The Abbey of San Pietro in Valle stands in a dense forest halfway up Mount Solenne, along the Valnerina state road that continues from Ferentillo towards Cascia.

In this area, between the 4th and 6th centuries, there was a community of hermits who lived for forty years in a cave adjacent to the current church. The monastic complex, now privately owned, has been recently renovated for tourist accommodation purposes.

Origins

The Benedictine Abbey of San Pietro in Valle is among the most significant examples of high medieval art in central Italy. The complex was built in the 8th century by the will of the Lombard Duke of Spoleto Faroaldo II, to lead an eremitic life. He was buried here in 728.

In 840, the monks living there were removed by order of the bishop of Spoleto, and in 1016 the abbey was destroyed by Saracens.

Restored and expanded at the end of the 12th century, it underwent further restoration works and was adorned with a series of frescoes in the nave.

With the rebuilding of the adjacent monastery, the abbey increased its possessions and influence over the surrounding territory until 1303. In 1477, Sixtus IV granted the abbey in commendam, and in 1517 it became the property of Francesco Cybo, before passing to the municipality of Ferentillo after the Unification of Italy.In the 15th century, the cloister was added, and in the early 16th century, the current gabled façade was built, very simple, with a Renaissance portal topped by a rose window.

Facade and bell tower of the Abbey of San Pietro in Valle in Ferentillo, with a backdrop of trees and blue sky. The facade features a large circular rose window in the center, while the bell tower, with a quadrangular plan and arched windows, stands behind it.

Exterior

Bell tower of the Abbey of San Pietro in Valle in Ferentillo seen from below, with trees and blue sky in the background. The bell tower, with a quadrangular plan, is divided into five floors with arched windows and brick details.

Bell tower

View from below of the bell tower of the Abbey of San Pietro in Valle in Ferentillo, with a clear blue sky in the background. The quadrangular bell tower shows the details of the arched windows and brick cornices.

Bell tower

Interior of the Abbey of San Pietro in Valle in Ferentillo, with a view of the central nave and the apse. The walls feature medieval frescoes and arched windows, while the nave is flanked by wooden benches and the ceiling is made of exposed wooden beams.

Interior

View of a richly decorated apse with frescoes depicting religious scenes and the main altar of the abbey, simple and central, with a marble structure.

Presbytery and apse

Apse decorated with a fresco depicting a religious scene with angelic figures and saints, surrounded by floral and decorative motifs.

Apse

Interior of the abbey with a view towards the entrance and the circular rose window above the entrance. The central nave is flanked by wooden benches facing the altar, while the walls are decorated with frescoes.

Interior

Exterior

Exterior

Exterior

The interior

The church, with a Latin cross plan, has a single nave that narrows towards the slightly raised transept, ending with three apses. These apses and the transept date back to the original 8th-century layout. The marble slab of the altar comes from the ancient presbytery enclosure. Inside the church are preserved some Lombard fragments and five Roman sarcophagi with pagan subjects, except for one of Asiatic type, which, according to tradition, housed the remains of Duke Faroaldo II.

In the upper part of the side walls and the triumphal arch, you will find an important cycle of 12th-century frescoes with stories from the Old and New Testaments, considered among the most important in Romanesque painting in Italy for the number of scenes and their state of preservation, representing one of the first reactions to the “hieratic” style of Byzantine painting. The remaining walls and the three apses are decorated with 15th and 16th-century frescoes.

The high altar, located at the centre of the presbytery, is made with marble fragments dating back to the 8th century. Its frontal bears a slab inscribed Ursus Magister, regarded as the earliest known example of a sculpture signed by its author.

In the left nave, within the apse, stands the altar which, according to tradition, holds the bodies of the founders, Saints Lazarus and John. It consists of a sarcophagus and a lid of different origin, assembled at a later date. This altar was once associated with an ancient devotional practice, no longer observed today, known as the cure for the “bone ailment”, which drew pilgrims seeking relief from joint pain and rheumatism. The peculiar location of the altar, set before the apse of the left transept arm, creates a narrow passage that worshippers would pass through crouching, their gaze fixed on the sacred fragments. On the right side, a small opening protected by an iron grating – the fenestrella confessionis – still allows visitors to glimpse the relics of the holy monks, once believed to be miraculous.

The exterior

The bell tower, with its square plan, rises five storeys high, articulated by brick cornices. The walls incorporate numerous stone fragments dating from the Roman period.

A portal from the second half of the 11th century leads into the cloister, with a rectangular plan and a double loggia with the lower arches dating back to the 12th century, while the upper ones are later additions. In the courtyard, there is a circular marble altar, probably of Greek origin, with bas-reliefs of satyrs and maenads.

The remaining buildings that constitute the abbey complex, also probably from the 12th-13th century, are gathered around the cloister.

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Main attractions in the vicinity