Tradition recounts that the first Franciscan presence at Castelvecchio Subequo (AQ) is linked to St. Francis’ travels through Abruzzo. After the formation of this small community, it took until 1267 before the Bishop of Valva and Sulmona granted permission to build the church and convent. Despite significant modifications during the Baroque period, the building’s original structure can still be seen beneath the 17th century layer. It houses several pristine medieval elements: the chorus and chapel of St. Francis with ribbed cross vaults from the 1200s, capitals carved with an original interpretation of themes from the Romanesque-Gothic repertory and interesting frescoes. The chapel dedicated to St. Francis is embellished with a fresco cycle dedicated to the history of the saint with colour covering the entire space. The symbols of the four evangelists feature in the vaults of the chorus and chapel. The Church of Castelvecchio is the only example in Abruzzo of so-called mendicant (relating to the vow of poverty) architecture and became a pilgrimage site because of the important relics held there, including the Blood of St. Francis. The Museum of Sacred Art in the convent houses gold artworks of considerable worth, including a Madonna with Child and two angels known as “Pasquarella”.
Film Commission d'Abruzzo
Centro Regionale Beni Culturali - Sulmona
Phone: + 39 0864 576303
Email: crbc@regione.abruzzo.it
