Near Castel Castagna (TE), in Valle del Mavone or Siciliana, stands the Church of Santa Maria di Ronzano, considered one of Abruzzo’s most important medieval buildings because of its structure which displays the signs of the transition from Romanesque to Gothic architecture and the great beauty of the frescoes decorating the interior. Its construction can be dated to the second half of 1100. Unusually the church ends with a straight wall, which conceals the three semi-circular apses inside: an architectural shape that has precedents in Apulia, but not in Abruzzo. The beautiful façade alternates terracotta brick and square white stone. The interior features pillars and pointed arches, three naves, a transept and a wooden hammer-beam ceiling. The frescoes show a greater influence of Early Christian rather than Byzantine art. Amidst the stories from the Old and New Testaments are the representations of the Annunciation and the Flight to Egypt. The church also owns a stauroteca, a reliquary cross containing a fragment of the cross of Christ. Outside the church is one of the most beautiful views of the Gran Sasso d'Italia.
Film Commission d'Abruzzo
Centro Regionale Beni Culturali - Sulmona
Phone: + 39 0864 576303
Email: crbc@regione.abruzzo.it
