Esterno dell'Abbazia di San Clemente a Casauria

The Abbey of San Clemente a Casauria is an

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

in the territory of

Castiglione a Casauria Castiglione a Casauria is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Pescara in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is located in the natural park known as the "Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park". Main sights *The Abbey of San Clemente a Casau ...

, in the

province of Pescara The province of Pescara ( it, provincia di Pescara; Abruzzese: ') is a province in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Its provincial capital is the city Pescara, which has a population of 119,483 inhabitants. As of 2017, it has a total population of ...

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...

, central

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

History

The abbey was founded in 871 by Louis II, great-grandson of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...

, after a vow made during his imprisonment in the

Duchy of Benevento The Duchy of Benevento (after 774, Principality of Benevento) was the southernmost Lombard duchy in the Italian Peninsula that was centred on Benevento, a city in Southern Italy. Lombard dukes ruled Benevento from 571 to 1077, when it was conq ...

. Initially named for the Holy Trinity, it was dedicated to St. Clement when the latter's remains were brought there in 872. In its history the abbey was plundered several times: by the

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...

s in 920 and repeatedly by the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

count Malmozzetto between 1076 and 1097. After this destructive episode, the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

abbot Grimoald promoted the rebuilding of the church, which was reconsecrated in 1105. However, the work ended only in the late 12th century under abbot Leonate (1152–82, cardinal from 1170).

Architecture

The façade is preceded by a

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

with columns and capitals; under it are three portals, the middle and larger one having a lintel and a tympanum with sculpted stories of St. Clement and of the abbey's history. In the center of the tympanum is the figure of San Clemente in his Papal clothing, with Saints Fabio and Cornelius at his right side and Abbot Leonate, to his left, presenting a model of the rebuilt abbey to its patron. The bronze doors were made (in 1191) when Abbot Iole was in charge and are divided into 72 rectangular panels depicting various images such as crosses, abbots, rose patterns and 14 castles (and their estates) that were subjects of the Abbey. Inside the (now deconsecrated) church there are a beautiful paschal candelabrum and a massive ambo dating from the 11 hundreds. The configuration is a nave and two aisles with semicircular apse. The high altar is a Palaeo-Christian sepulchre, surmounted by a 14th-century ciborium. Next to this is a large marble casket containing the relics of San Clemente. In the

crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...

two apse railings divide the primitive church from that rebuilt by the Benedictines in the 12th century.

References

* * * Signage and descriptive material at the site.

External links

Abbazia di San Clemente a Casauria Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clemente Casauria 11th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Religious buildings and structures completed in 1105 Churches in the province of Pescara Romanesque architecture in Abruzzo

Clemente Clemente is both an Italian, Spanish and Portuguese surname and a given name. Notable people with the surname include: Surname * Aldo Di Clemente (born 1948), Italian amateur astronomer * Anna Clemente (born 1994), Italian racewalker * Ari Clement ...

Christian monasteries established in the 9th century Buildings and structures in the Province of Pescara 9th-century establishments in Italy Religious buildings and structures completed in 871 Castiglione a Casauria

History

Architecture

See also

References

External links