The Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Foresta, abbreviated as the ''Santuario della Foresta'' is one of a local cluster of four sanctuary-monasteries, originally based on rural oratories founded in the

Rieti Valley The Rieti Valley or Rieti Plain ( or ''Conca Reatina'') is a small plain in central Italy, where lies the city of Rieti, Lazio. It is also known as Sacred Valley and Holy Valley () since saint Francis of Assisi lived here for many years and erec ...

Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italians, Italian Mysticism, mystic, poet and Friar, Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Chris ...

in the areas near

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 ...

, Lazio, Italy. This sanctuary is located about 3.5 km from Rieti, and near the town of Castelfranco.

History

Originally, the site had a rural chapel or church dedicated to St Fabian. In 1225, Francis was invited to Rieti by Cardinal Ugolino, later

Pope Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX (; born Ugolino di Conti; 1145 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and the ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decretales'' and instituting the Pa ...

, putatively for the future Saint to have his vision tended to by a medical doctor. Arriving in the region, he preferred, as was his custom to reside in a rural spot, continuing his preaching from this site. Legend holds that while Francis was present, he was able to convert a miserly harvest of grapes into a plentiful amount of wine.Historia serafica della vita, e miracoli del serafico padre S. Francesco
by Salvatore Vitale; Stamperia Giovanni Pietro Caldi, Milan (1645); page 249. After Francis's stay the site housed some

eremitic A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

female followers. In 1346, the bishop of Rieti expelled the women and granted the church and adjacent house to the friars of the Clareni congregation of

fraticelli The ''Fraticelli'' (Italian language, Italian for “Little Brethren”) or Spiritual Franciscans opposed changes to the Monastic rule, rule of Saint Francis of Assisi, especially with regard to poverty, and regarded the wealth of the Catholic ...

, following the guidance of Pietro Guido da Fossombrone, also known as

Angelo da Clareno Angelo da Clareno (1247/1248 – 15 June 1337), also known as Angelo Clareno, was the founder and leader of one of the groups of Fraticelli in the early 14th century. Life Originally known as Pietro da Fossombrone, he was born about 1248, and ...

. The remained here until 1568, when this order was incorporated into the Frati Minori. In 1648, the convent was officially granted to this order. Refurbishment defaced some of the prior decoration. The convent still is occupied by the Franciscan order.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foresta Rieti Foresta Franciscan monasteries in Italy