Eremo della Madonna di Coccia (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

for ''Hermitage of Madonna di Coccia'') is an hermitage located in

Campo di Giove Campo di Giove is a town and ''comune'' in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. Its territory is included in the Majella National Park Maiella National Park ( it, Parco Nazionale della Maiella) is a national park loca ...

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 ...

(

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 hermitage is located along the mule track connecting

with Palena, passing through the Guado di Coccia pass. It serves as an example of a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

mountain hut A mountain hut is a building located high in the mountains, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineers, climbers and hikers. Mountain huts are usually operated by an Alpine Club or some organization d ...

shepherd's hut The shepherd's hut (or shepherd's wagon) was, since the 15th century and into the 20th century, used by shepherds during sheep raising and lambing, primarily in the United Kingdom and France. Shepherd's huts often had iron wheels and corrugate ...

. There is limited historical information on the hermitage, but it is believed to have been commissioned by the future

Pope Celestine V Pope Celestine V ( la, Caelestinus V; 1215 – 19 May 1296), born Pietro Angelerio (according to some sources ''Angelario'', ''Angelieri'', ''Angelliero'', or ''Angeleri''), also known as Pietro da Morrone, Peter of Morrone, and Peter Celes ...

in the 13th century. The only certain date is that inscribed on the architrave of the 1748 restoration, likely after damage from the

1706 Abruzzo earthquake The 1706 Abruzzo earthquake, also known as the Maiella earthquake, occurred on November 3 at 13:00 CEST. The earthquake with a possible epicenter in the Central Apennine Mountains (Maiella), Abruzzo had an estimated moment magnitude of 6.6–6. ...

. More recent accounts link the path to the escape of prisoners from the internment camp of

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 ...

, heading to the pass to cross the

Gustav Line The Winter Line was a series of German and Italian military fortifications in Italy, constructed during World War II by Organisation Todt and commanded by Albert Kesselring. The series of three lines was designed to defend a western section of ...

. Related to these events, a memorial dedicated to Ettore De Corti, who was killed by the Germans while attempting to cross the front line, stands at the pass. In 2009, the church underwent restoration work carried out by the management body of the Maiella National Park.

Architecture

The entire structure consists of two sections built against a rock on a steep slope: the church is at the top, and below are the remains of a residential area. The church is rectangular and has two windows and a large entrance door on the facade. The lunette-shaped architrave above the door bears the inscription commemorating the restoration: Above the windows is the inscription: The interior of the church is bare. On the back wall, above the remains of the altar, are the decorations and frame that housed a bas-relief of the

Madonna and Child In art, a Madonna () is a representation of Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word is (archaic). The Madonna and Child type is very prevalent in ...

. The residential area next to the church was organized on two floors. It is in a state of ruin, but the perimeter walls remain. The first floor had two windowless rooms used as a stable or woodshed, while the upper floor, paved with terracotta tiles, was used as a dormitory.

References

External links

* {{coord, 42.0004, N, 14.0792, E, source:wikidata, display=title Madonna di Coccia Campo di Giove