Churches & Places of Worship

In Esperia, on Mount Cecubo, near the castle of Roccaguglielma, this sanctuary of Our Lady of Grace was erected in the seventeenth century.

Then it was restored and enlarged in the nineteenth century.

From its large terrace you can enjoy the incredible view of the Valley of the Saints, and the Abbey of Montecassino.

The building is the natural continuity of the former chapel of the castle Roccaguglielma, as noted by nineteenth-century walled inscription on the façade of the small church.

On the occasion of the feast of Our Lady of Grace, July 2, many pilgrims come to the shrine on foot and barefoot.

The church of San Donato in Esperia stands alone on Monte D’Oro.

The saint is celebrated by devotees with a solemn procession on the Sunday after August 7.
 

The history of the church f San Francesco in Esperia is closely linked to that of the adjoining convent.

The building dates back to 1589 for the church and the ground floor of the convent, and to 1853 for the completion of the convent.

The date was found on a stone near the altar that emerged during the reconstruction work after the bombings of 1944.

The church Santa Maria di Montevetro in Esperia has valuable fifteenth-century frescoes.

The name comes from the sparse vegetation around the building that has never managed to be lush.

For this 'Montevetro' means "clean mountain like a glass."

The church of Santa Maria Maggiore and San Filippo Neri in Esperia dates back to 1200s and its plan was in the shape of Greek Cross, and later transformed into a Latin Cross.

Inside there are seven altars of beautiful marble inlay and four chapels.

On the high altar is an altarpiece depicting Pentecost attributed to Taddeo Zuccari.

Under the altar are the remains of the Patron Saint San Clino Abate, except the skull which is located in Cluny.

In the church there are also the wooden statue of St. Clino Abbot and a 1521 bas-relief by a local artist.

The church of Saint Peter Apostle in Esperia has been documented since the tenth century.

During the centuries, it has been repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt.

Inside it houses important paintings of the Neapolitan school.

It has long been a direct possession of the abbey of Montecassino.
 

The church of Our Lady of Loreto in Esperia is renown for its imposing baroque facade.

It has been commissioned by a famous bishop of the seventeenth century, originally from Esperia, Monsignor Giuseppe Crispino.

Inside is a wooden statue of the Madonna of the sixteenth century and two paintings by Luca Giordano.

Destroyed by the bombings of the last war has been restored and used as an auditorium.

This small church of Santa Maria della Portella takes its name from its location at the entrance of the village of Cervara di Roma.

Surrounded by a forest along the sheep trail (transumanza path) to Subiaco, it overlooks the whole Aniene Valley.

Its construction probably dates back to the early 1500s.

In 1602 it became a sanctuary when the statue of golden stucco that adorned it was considered miraculous and has become an object of worship.