The Hermitage of San Venanzio (''Eremo di San Venanzio'') is the site the ancient hermitage of Saint

Venantius of Camerino Venantius of Camerino ( it, San Venanzio, also known as Saint Wigand) (died 18 May 251 or 253)San V ...

, located above a stream in a remote ravine within a few kilometers north of

Raiano Raiano (locally ''Raianë'') is a town and ''comune'' of the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Geography Raiano is located at above sea level, on the western side of the Valle Peligna, Peligna Valley. In his Naturalis Histori ...

Province of L'Aquila The Province of L'Aquila ( it, Provincia dell'Aquila) is the largest, most mountainous and least densely populated province of the Abruzzo region of Central Italy. It comprises about half the landmass of Abruzzo and occupies the western part o ...

in the

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.

History

This type of structures, where caves or grottoes in remote mountainous terrain became the site of anchoritic habitation, and later hagiographic devotional cults, are not uncommon in the terrain of the high

Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...

and Abruzzo, which also harbors the hermitages of San Bartolomeo in Legio, of San Domenico, and of Celestino V near

Sulmona Sulmona ( nap, label= Abruzzese, Sulmóne; la, Sulmo; grc, Σουλμῶν, Soulmôn) is a city and ''comune'' of the province of L'Aquila in Abruzzo, Italy. It is located in the Valle Peligna, a plain once occupied by a lake that disappeared in ...

. The hermitage is now associated with a pilgrimage church. Venantius converted to Christianity in the 3rd century, and was martyred nearby in 259. According to tradition, the hermitage was constructed in the 12th-century, though the structure suggests some 15th-century construction. Papal bulls from

Adrian IV Pope Adrian IV ( la, Adrianus IV; born Nicholas Breakspear (or Brekespear); 1 September 1159, also Hadrian IV), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 4 December 1154 to his death in 1159. He is the only Englishman t ...

(1156),

Lucius III Pope Lucius III (c. 1097 – 25 November 1185), born Ubaldo Allucingoli, reigned from 1 September 1181 to his death in 1185. Born of an aristocratic family of Lucca, prior to being elected pope, he had a long career as a papal diplomat. His pa ...

(1183) and

Clement III Pope Clement III ( la, Clemens III; 1130 – 20 March 1191), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 December 1187 to his death in 1191. He ended the conflict between the Papacy and the city of Rome, by all ...

(1188), refer to a St Venantius temple, but it is not clear if they refer to the church in the town or the hermitage. The church was built straddling the river. Inside are two lateral altars dedicated to San Pietro Celestino and St John the Baptist. Before the main altar is a balustrade that leads to a "Scala Santa", dug into the rock and leading to a grotto identified as the site where the body of San Venanzio left an imprint, while he prayed. Traces of 15th-century frescoes exist. Levels of loggias allowed pilgrims to gaze on the spot. To the left of the entrance is a seat, called the ''seat of Pope Celestine'' or ''St Rina''. The hermitage has undergone modest reconstructions along the centuries. In the 19th century, it was visited by the Neapolitan historian

Benedetto Croce Benedetto Croce (; 25 February 1866 – 20 November 1952) was an Italian idealist philosopher, historian, and politician, who wrote on numerous topics, including philosophy, history, historiography and aesthetics. In most regards, Croce was a lib ...

, who noted the church was full of

ex-voto An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or to a divinity; the term is usually restricted to Christian examples. It is given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ''ex voto suscepto'', "from the vow made") or in gratitude o ...

tablets, now lost. Along the road leading to the sanctuary are three aedicules that held imprints left by body parts of the saint, mainly elbow, head and feet. Prayers at the individual stations with insertion of the afflicted matching body part were held to provide cures. The latter is the most notable. A legend claims the saint was able to placate riots in the nearby town of

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 ...

by leaving the imprint of his foot on the rock. Rocks placed in the imprint of the feet are held to gain the power to heal. Water and grains from the path were also held to have healing powers.

References

{{coord, 42.110987, N, 13.795971, E, display=title 12th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Venanzio Venanzio Raiano