Campli (province of Teramo), Abruzzo’s “city of art”, is the location for the Sanctuary of the Scala Santa, which was granted the same indulgences as the famous Scala Santa of Rome by Pope Clement XIV in 1772.
A beautiful 16th-century portal embellished with diamond-shapes, from the convent of Sant’Onofrio, leads inside where the penitent begins the ascent on their knees up a staircase of 28 polished, very smooth wooden steps. The steps are surrounded by frescoes with motifs related to the Passion of Christ. At the top of the stairs is the Chapel of Sancta Sanctorum, the heart of the building.
A canvas of Christ Pantocrator and statues of the Dead Christ and the Addolorata can be glimpsed within the Chapel through an iron gate. Fragments of the Cross of Christ and other relics are preserved here in artistic reliquaries crafted by the Neapolitan school. On the landing beside the Sancta Sanctorum are the effigies of Pope Clement XIV and Saint Elena. Once this path is completed, another stairway is used for the descent, decorated with medallions depicting joyful scenes of Christ’s Resurrection. The artistic and cultural character and the atmosphere of engaging spirituality, which the visitor experiences regardless of religious belief, make the Scala Santa of Campli a mystical and rare place of unexpected beauty.
Film Commission d'Abruzzo
Centro Regionale Beni Culturali - Sulmona
Phone: + 39 0864 576303
Email: crbc@regione.abruzzo.it
