On a hill, isolated from the residential centre of Matrice (CB), is the Church of Santa Maria della Strada, a Romanesque building that probably dates to the 11th and 12th centuries.
The church, which became a Benedictine monastery, was restored by Cardinal Orsini of Benevento after the 1456 earthquake. The walls both inner and out are built from unplastered, limestone square blocks which contained nummuliti of great geological and paleontological interest.
The tiered façade is decorated with symbolic figures and scenes from pastoral life, while the upper level holds a perforated rose window. Inside, the building is laid out on a Greek cross, divided into three naves, with 12 columns and rounded arches, and ceilings with wooden trusses. The altar holds an ancient statue of the Madonna with Child holding a globe and other noteworthy works such as a wooden crucifix, a stone stoup from 1400 and a 14th century Gothic monumental sarcophagus, the tomb of the Blessed Berardo d’Aquino.
MoliseCinema Film Festival
Phone: 0874 016012
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