Sant’Antonio al Monte () is a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

church and convent, located just outside the city of

Rieti Rieti (; , 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 region. T ...

, in the

province of Rieti The province of Rieti () is a Provinces of Italy, 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 Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...

, Italy.

History

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

Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV (or Xystus IV, ; born Francesco della Rovere; (21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 until his death in 1484. His accomplishments as pope included ...

, 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. The convent had a small church dedicated initially to ''Santa Maria al Monte'', but changing its dedication to St Antony of Padua 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 Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

. 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, 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. 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