Churches & Places of Worship

Sermoneta - Abbazia Valviscolo by Matteo Odargi

The Valvisciolo Abbey, at the foot of Monte Corvino that protects it from the northern winds, looks down to the sea through the Pontine plain.

It is dedicated to the first martyr Saint Stephen and its history dates back to the fourteenth century.

The name Valvisciolo comes from a previous Cistercian monastery in nearby Carpineto Romano and can mean either Nightingale Valley (vallis lusciniae) or Valley of the Sour Cherries (a variety of wild cherries).

According to tradition, the monastery was inhabited by the Knights Templar who remained until the suppression of their order at the beginning of the fourteenth century.

The entire complex consists of the Church, the Chapter House, the Refectory and the Cloister, which represents the heart and the most elegant part of Valvisciolo.

The collegiate church of Santa Maria Assunta is situated on the highest point of the promontory in the heart of the old town of Anguillara Sabazia and is located on a site of an ancient cult, probably from Roman times.
The church, crumbling by the sixteenth century, was changed by a radical restoration from 1765 when it was almost completely demolished and rebuilt in Baroque style, whilst maintaining its original size.
The facade, however, remained in a rustic state until 1888, when the current outlook was realised and the exterior wall covering completed.

The church of the Madonna Assunta in Cielo is the most modern in Sperlonga, built in 1964 at the behest of the parish priest of the time Don Raffaele Chinappi with the aim of replacing the church of Santa Maria for a long time rendered unusable by the restoration works.

The shape resembles that of a pyramid, it is a large and bright church located in a central position on the Town Hall square.

This small and simple chapel of Saint Rock - San Rocco was built in the 15th century and is dedicated to the co-patron of Sperlonga.

Every year it is open on August 16, the feast day of the Saint to whom it is dedicated.

On the second Sunday of September, on the other hand, two distinct processions are organized in honor of the two patrons, arriving in the evening as far as the sea, the statue of San Rocco at the end is brought back to the village passing through the Chapel.

The church of Saint Mary - Santa Maria - is the oldest in the town of Sperlonga, built in the early 12th century and mentioned for the first time in 1135 as an important place of prayer in the south of Lazio.

It has two naves to which other rooms have been added over the centuries. Inside we can see a canvas with the Madonna Assunta on the main altar while in the chapel of the crib there is the wooden statue of St. Leo the Great, patron saint of the town.

In the most preserved chapel we can see an altar from the eighteenth century and frescoes dedicated to San Domenico from the twelfth century.

The church of Our Lady of the Free- Madonna della Libera is a building of the eleventh century is a symbol of Aquino.

In pure Romanesque - Benedictine  style the church  takes the forms of the church of Monte Cassino.

It was built using much of the remains of Roman buildings material enough to be described as "The strangest jumble of antiquities."

Fragments of large marbles, epigraphs, metopes (rectangular architectural element between triglyphs), cornices, tomb reliefs can be found.

All these discoveries give the whole building an atmosphere of great charm.

In the history of Aquino there have been three cathedrals. The first cathedral dates back to the fifth century, it was dedicated to the apostle Peter and corresponds to San Pietro Vetere.

The second cathedral, dedicated to Santa Maria degli Angeli, arose on today’s archaeological site of Aquinum Cathedral. It remained until about halfway through the thirteenth century, when it was replaced by the church of San Costanzo, dedicated to the patron saint and bishop of Aquino in VI century.

During the bombings of 1944, the San Costanzo cathedral was damaged and was rebuilt on the opposite side of the square.

The con-cathedral of Aquino is therefore modern and inside there are some relics of St. Thomas donated by the Toulouse Cathedral, where are the remains of St. Thomas.

In 1974 a large mosaic was created in the apse, by Maestro Carlo Maria Mariani, with the representation of the Risen Christ and at the same time Crucifix. On its sides are represented San Costanzo and San Tommaso, to whom the Basilica is dedicated.

The church of Santa Maria di Loreto and convent of capuchins are located about 1.5 km from the town of Leonessa along the road to Cascia, just beyond the cemetery.

It was originally a votive chapel built in 1520 by Christopher Gizzi, on the edge of the road to Spoleto.