Type:

Luoghi della cultura; Oggetto fisico

Category:

Religious buildings; Art museums

Built on a hill by the river Mavone, in the homonymous valley, surrounded by trees, the church of Saint John was probably founded in the XII century, along with the Benedictine monastery adjoining it, whose ruins bear evidence of its original big size. The façade, adjusted later when the belfry was added, is made of white local stone blocks; the portal, surmounted by a round window, is decorated with spirals and floral reliefs and has mullioned windows with two lights on the sides. It is one of the first examples of the typology characterized by a horizontal coping with hanging arches, which would have become typical in the Abruzzi and in other areas throughout the following years. The interior consists of a nave and two aisles with one apse, decorated with a fresco dated 1421 and representing the Redeemer between the Holy Mary and Saint John the Baptist. One part of the apse is raised and lies on the crypt, supported by cross-vaults and columns.