San Liberatore a Maiella 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 ...

and church in the territory of

Serramonacesca Serramonacesca is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Pescara in the Abruzzo region of southern Italy. Main sights * Abbey of San Liberatore a Maiella * Hermitage of Saint Onofrio *The Polegra Tower ''The'' () is a grammatical article ...

, in the province of Pescara, region 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 ...

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 origin of the

is traditionally linked to

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 ...

, who is portrayed in a fresco fragment within the church. The 9th century edifice was rebuilt a first time from 1007 by the Benedictine monk St. Theobald. It is dedicated to St. Liberator. The current edifice, however, is that rebuilt starting from 1080 by

Desiderius Desiderius, also known as Daufer or Dauferius (born – died ), was king of the Lombards in northern Italy, ruling from 756 to 774. The Frankish king of renown, Charlemagne, married Desiderius's daughter and subsequently conquered his realm. Des ...

, abbot of

Montecassino Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first h ...

. The church remained in a decaying state until it was restored in 1967-1971. Serramonacesca chiesa benedettina 06

Architecture

The abbey has a white façade with balanced volumes, flanked by a square-plan bell tower with three floors, having (starting from the lowest) single, double and triple

mullioned window A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid supp ...

s. The façade has vertical relief in Lombard-Romanesque styles. The interior is on the basilica plan with a nave and two aisles, divided by seven round arcades with triangular piers. The triumphal arches (the central one is now missing) led to the presbytery. The arches are supported by cruciform pilasters which end with notable decorations, in a style similar to that of the nave's walls. The ceiling has wooden trusses. In the left aisles are the former accesses to the cloister and the monastery residential quarters, represented by two decorated doors. One has in its tympanum the typical flower motif of the Abruzzese Romanesque style. The nave's pavement has a rare pavement geometrical decoration which dates from c. 1200. The apse has frescoes from various ages, once united but now, after their restoration, separated: the one portraying Theobald in from the 16th century, while the second, with traces of saints' figures, is from the 12th century. The

ambo Ambo may refer to: Places * Ambo, Kiribati * Ambo Province, Huanuco Region, Peru ** Ambo District ** Ambo, Peru, capital of Ambo District * Ambo Town, a town in Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia ** Ambo, Ethiopia, a capital of West Shewa Zone ...

has a square shape, and is similar to those in the San Clemente Abbey of Casauria and in that of

San Pelino The ''frazione'' San Pelino is a medieval town in the Avezzano ''comune''. It lies within the province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo region, in the Apennine Mountain Range of central Italy Central Italy ( it, Italia centrale or just ) is one of the f ...

Corfinio Corfinio is a ''comune'' (municipality) and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy. In the Middle Ages, Roman ''Corfinium'' was known as Valva, and was the seat of a bishopric. This name is preserved in the name of the un ...

References

*This article is a translation of the corresponding Italian article on it.wikipedia.org. See references given there. {{DEFAULTSORT:Liberatore A Maiella, San Monasteries in Abruzzo Churches in the province of Pescara 11th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Christian monasteries established in the 11th century Romanesque architecture in Abruzzo Buildings and structures in the Province of Pescara