Saturday was a glorious day so we headed down to one of my favorite local places, Canneto. The Madonna del Canneto sanctuary is located outside of the town of Roccavivara in the Molise and is about 10 minutes away from us by car.
According to the plaque found on the church grounds, it was built on the site of an earlier-existing place of worship, as noted by the Chronicon Vulturnense, which relates that in 706 Gisulfo I, Duke of Benevento, donated to the monks of San Vincenzo al Volturno a church devoted to the Virgin Mary, later destroyed by fire, nearby the Trigno river. The long story of its reconstruction then began which started with the addition of the aisles and the bell tower (9th-10th centuries) to arrive at the transformations of the twelfth century…. The plaque goes on to mention that the Benedictines of San Vincenzo, in alternation with those of Monte Cassino, gave a new impulse to the site by making of it..a centre of prayer and of work…
The inside of the church is very dark, but with a little help from the computer, I was able to lighten this photo so you can see the inside.
The church grounds include a garden along with stations of the cross and an outside worship area
There’s also a picnic area right outside of the church grounds, and there are fairs held outside throughout the year.
As you can imagine, this is a favorite spot for couples planning their wedding. The church itself has so much character and the grounds are immaculately groomed.
But, there’s more
Behind the church there are also Roman ruins with mosaics. You can’t enter the ruins, but they are easily seen through the Plexiglas protecting them. Among the various items to be seen are the large terracotta vases that were used for preserving oil and wine and an oven for ceramic production.
And, what abbey would be complete without a resident dog? Actually, I don’t really know if the dog belongs to the nuns or not, but he was certainly friendly….
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What a peaceful, beautiful site!
And that dog is too cute…looks kind of wolf-like actually. And all that fur!
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Yes, I think that poor pup will be very uncomfortable in the heat of summer.
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That’s where my parents married 48 years ago, and my brother 20 years ago. I love going down there and soaking up the silence. It really is a beautiful and peaceful place. I can’t wait to come home!
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It certainly is beautiful Giovanna. Often when we go there we find buses full of people, but the large number of people rarely causes any kind of disturbance. Maybe because the setting is so tranquil.
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