Outside the ancient borgo of Roccamorice (province of Pesaro) is the Hermitage of the Sacred Spirit a Majella, the setting for the mystical experience of a famous pope, Celestine V (1294) who, as Pietro Angelerio, was dedicated to a private, contemplative life whose atmosphere pervades this place. It had been inhabited many years earlier by the monk Desiderio, the future Pope Victor III, who also built a small church (1053). Over time, Santo Spirito a Majella saw other illustrious inhabitants including the blessed Roberto da Salle and the revolutionary Cola di Rienzo, attracted to the place by the words of Francesco Petrarca, who described it in his De vita solitaria as one of the most suitable places for spiritual ascension. The spectacular path to reach it winds through dense beech woods and offers a view of the parete dell’Orso.
Access to the monastic complex is through a garden with a stone fountain. The buildings are nestled in the folds of a jagged rock face, spreading across various heights as if set into the stone, following the tradition of the Majella hermits’ use of natural shelters provided by the terrain. Today the church, sacristy and a two-storey, residential wing with guest area and cells are still standing. Despite undergoing many changes which left late Renaissance outlines, especially inside the church, the complex still demonstrates the traces of its original medieval design. A very steep staircase in stone leads to the Oratory of the Magdalen.
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