9 Churches to Explore in Abruzzo

The Abbazia di Santo Spirito del Morrone is a former monastery some five kilometers outside of the town of Sulmona, at the base of Monte Morrone, in the Province of L'Aquila, region of Abruzzo, Italy. This was the main abbey of the Celestine order, a Benedictine order offshoot. By the 19th century, the abbey was deconsecrated, functioning more recently as a prison. In the last decades, restoration has proceeded and it now serves as a Museum.

The basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio is a religious building of the Aquila , located just outside the city ​​walls , on the homonymous hill. Founded in 1288 at the behest of Pietro da Morrone - crowned pope here with the name of Celestino V on 29 August 1294 - it is considered the highest expression of Abruzzo architecture , as well as the symbol of the city and was declared a national monument in 1902.

The Basilica of San Bernardino is a religious building of the Aquila, located in the quarter of Santa Maria. It was built, with the adjacent convent, between 1454 and 1472 in honor of St. Bernardino of Siena, whose remains are kept inside the mausoleum of the Saint built by Silvestro dell'Aquila. The facade, erected in the following century by Cola dell'Amatrice with Michelangelo's influences, is considered the highest expression of Renaissance architecture in Abruzzo.

The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is an ancient Catholic basilica that is considered to be the largest of the churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Rome. It is one of the city’s four major basilicas. Built on a pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Cybele. The basilica displays varied architectural styles, from early Christian to Baroque. The entire building was restored and renovated during the eighteenth century.

The hermitage of San Domenico is a small church, located in the territory of the municipality of Villalago, in the Sagittario valley, on the shore of the homonymous Lake of San Domenico. It includes a cave dug into the limestone, in which according to tradition, around the year 1000 the Benedictine monk San Domenico lived.

The Hermitage of San Venanzio is the site the ancient hermitage of Saint Venantius of Camerino, located above a stream in a remote ravine within a few kilometers north of Raiano, Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo, Italy. One of the ancient pilgrimage sites in this area which was also a important site till today.

Our Lady of Grace Historic Sanctuary, in the city of Reserve, was the only Catholic Church in its area that served African American parishioners exclusively when it was built in the 1930s. This 80-by-40 square foot, 350-person capacity church, was built exclusively for African Americans in 1936 under the direction of Father Roderick Auclair with the help of the local community. It soon gained another structure for providing Catholic schooling for black children.

The sanctuary is located just outside the walls of the village, and it is among the best examples of Renaissance architecture in Umbria. The building was erected in 1494, with the support of the Perugia municipality, as a place of protection against the plague; for this reason, it was dedicated to Our Lady of Miracles, by the will of Pope Alexander VI. The interior of the sanctuary has a single nave with 8 altars, there are also some stuccoes by Nicolò Curti made in 1762.

The sanctuary of Santa Maria di Monte Tranquillo is a place of worship located in the municipality of Pescasseroli in Abruzzo. The original building of worship, called the church of Santa Maria in Tranquillo or of Santa Maria Della Serra, was probably built in the early 12th century by the will of the bishop of the Marsi, San Berardo who intended to build churches in the mountain passes of the Marsica offer refuge to the faithful and travelers.