Sant’Antonio al Monte ( it, St Antony at the Mountain) is a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

church and convent, located just outside the city of

Rieti Rieti (; lat, Reate, Sabino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of 47,700. It is the administrative seat of the province of Rieti and see of the diocese of Rieti, as well as the modern capital of the Sabina re ...

, in the

province of Rieti The Province of Rieti ( it, Provincia di Rieti) is a province in the Lazio region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Rieti. Established in 1927, it has an area of with a total population of 157,887 people as of 2017. There are 73 ''comuni'' ...

, region of

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, Italy.

History

The monastery was founded in 1474, with the approval by Pope

Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...

, and funded with donations by the local citizenry. In its origin, the site was adjacent to a hospital and hostel for pilgrims. The friars tended to the ill in a house annexed to the church of

San Rufo San Rufo is a village and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno, in the Campania region of southern Italy located in the Vallo di Diano. San Rufo extends over 31 square kilometres, much of which is mountainous or hilly terrain. With defence in min ...

. The convent had a small church dedicated initially to ''Santa Maria al Monte'', but changing its dedication to St

Antony of Padua Anthony of Padua ( it, Antonio di Padova) or Anthony of Lisbon ( pt, António/Antônio de Lisboa; born Fernando Martins de Bulhões; 15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. He was bor ...

in the 18th century. The convent once had a notable library, but the institution was suppressed under the Napoleonic rule. After World War II, the site underwent significant refurbishments. In 2000, when the last friars moved to the larger monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie a Ponticelli, this convent was converted into a cultural retreat, known as an "Oasi francescana" of ''Franciscan Oasis'', hosting spiritual activities and studies. The convent can be approached by a path with 18th century aedicules housing a

Via Crucis The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The stations grew out of imitati ...

. The terracota panels are modern, completed in 1994 by student of the Istituto statale d’arte di Rieti "Antonino Calcagnadoro". The most prominent work that was housed in the convent was a painting depiction the ''Madonna and Child'' by

Antoniazzo Romano Antoniazzo Romano, born Antonio di Benedetto Aquilo degli Aquili (c. 1430 – c. 1510) was an Italian Early Renaissance painter, the leading figure of the Roman school during the latter part of the 15th century. He "made a speciality of rep ...

, now on display in the Museo Civico di Rieti, along with illuminated codices once part of the library. The convent has two Renaissance style cloisters. The church contains a wooden crucifix from the 15th century, and a depiction of ''Virgin, Magdalen and St John the Evangelist'' (1652) by

Vincenzo Manenti Vincenzo Manenti (also known as Vincenzio Manenti) (c. 1600–1674) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. He was born, worked and died in Canemorto (now Orvinio) in the region of Sabina and province of Rieti where he had been first a pu ...

. The oaken sacristy divan was completed by Father Morico da Prossedi in 1692. The belltower was erected in 1696. Uncer the main altar is the putative relics of the martyr and saint Vittorio, moved here in 1705.Rieti in Vetrina
website describing monastery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Antonio al Monte Rieti Roman Catholic churches in Lazio Renaissance architecture in Lazio antonio al monte Franciscan churches in Italy Franciscan convents