San Giovanni in Leopardis is a former

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church and

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 ...

church located in a hilltop south of the town of Borgorose, 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, Italy. Only ruined and stripped elements of the Romanesque church walls and former crypt remain. Once attached to a

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 ...

abbley, linked to the

Abbey of Montecassino 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 ...

, the site is first mentioned in 1153 in a papal bull by

Anastasius IV Pope Anastasius IV ( – 3 December 1154), born Corrado Demetri della Suburra, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 July 1153 to his death in 1154. He is the most recent pope to take the name "Anastasius" upon his ...

. Putatively built using elements at the site of an Ancient Roman temple dedicated to Diana. The layout of the church was that of a Latin cross with the crypt likely located below a semicircular apse and presbytery. The building was refurbished in 990 after a severe earthquake. In 1231, the church was dependant of the abbey of San Pietro in Ferentillo. But parish functions were transferred since the 15th century to the church of Santa Caterina, later named Sant'Anastasia, at Borgorose. Over the centuries, the church became less used and in 1651 the Bishop of Rieti ordered that mass be held regularly. In 1745, the portal and rose-window of the church at this site was taken to refurbish the church of San Anastasia, and this site fell to ruin. The remaining crypt was semicircular and graced with well-conserved carved Romanesque capitals. In 1984, three years after a restoration by the Comune of Borgorose, vandals stole many of the capitals, causing partial collapse of the structure. In 2018, Italian authorities recuperated two of the capitals from an Umbrian antique vendor, and they are displayed by the Museo Archeologico Cicolano in

Corvaro Borgorose ( Sabino: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rieti in the Italian region Lazio (Latin Latium), located about northeast of Rome and about southeast of Rieti. Borgorose borders the following municipalities: L'Aquila, L ...

.Museo Archeologico Cicolano
report on recovered capitals.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giovanni in Leopardis Roman Catholic churches in Lazio Churches in the province of Rieti Romanesque architecture in Lazio