Hermitism

The phenomenon of hermitism can be dated back to the Centuries after the 1000. Its first appearance has to be fixed in the Longobard-Frankish period with a strong Benedectine influence. According to a legend, in Xth or XIth Century some greek monks coming from Calabria, ruled by Saracens, reached the Maiella: one of them, called Falco, settled in Palena where he was adopted as patron of the village. Palena was rest-stop for many other famous anchorets in the Majellense monastic life. San Francesco came here from Sulmona and received Pietro from Morrone after His break in Castel di Sangro in the 1234.

The action of great cloisters is the first element that supported the dwellings of inner and higher zones in Majella. During the IXth and Xth Centuries the Cassinenses and Volturnenses stand on Southern and Eastern sides of Maiella and, especially the second ones, are well-represented in the territory of Valva, Medioeval name of Sulmona Gorge. The Casaurienses expanded their influence on Northern slope and in the Orfento Valley, until Pacentro. Different monastic foundations – except of San Liberatore, San Salvatore and Santo Spirito – were built between 1000 and XIVth Century, many of which were attended, restored or rebuilt by Pietro del Morrone. It deals with: Santa Maria d’Arabona, San Tommaso di Paterno in Caramanico. Several retreats in the Orfento Valley; Sant’Onofrio in Serramonacesca; Santa Maria della Mazza in Pretoro; Santa Maria dell’Avella in Pennapiedimonte; Sant’Angelo di Palombaro; Santa Maria dell’Altare in Palena and San Bartolomeo in Legio, Roccamorice. The cloister of Trinity, founded by the Casauriense Sant’Adalberto in Pacentro; San Falco in Palena; Santa Maria di Monteplanizie in Lettopalena. The Abbey of Santo Spirito del Morrone, founded on a previous small church of Santa Maria by Pietro since 1259. This great abbey at the foot of Mount Morrone became the Central Place for the Celestines Order, while today is the Registered Office of Park Authority. The Retreat of Sant’Onofrio al Morrone, founded by Pietro at the beginnings of 1290. It deserves to be mentioned some foundations located outside of our area such as: Santa Maria de Quinquemilia (Volturnense) in Pietransieri Valley, on the left riverside of Sangro, while on the other one San Pietro Avellana (Cassinense).

The Longobards conquered the old dwellings and they settled there. Often small groups of monks moved towards these zones, so new groups of inhabitants coming from the surrounding Valleys gathered around their monastic cells. In the Xith Century the Cassinenses had huge land tenures in Pescocostanzo, which passed for this reason under the jurisdiction of Cassinense Diocese until 1975.

The monastic properties extended on growable grounds and high-altitude pasturelands. The monastic settlement is strongly connected with the presence of shepherds in a kind of mutual assistance relationship. Around the 1000 the Maiella filled up with anchorets and all over the place their presence remained the same during the centuries! The period in which this phenomenon reached its highest perfusion it seems to be in the XIIIth (that one of Celestine Vth) and XIVth Centuries. Moreover on these mountains, in the 1347, the Roman tribune Cola di Rienzo spent its days after the escape from Rome: "gìo como fraticiello iacenno per le montagne de Maiella con romiti e perzone de penitenza" (“went through the Majella mountains like Iacenno with anchorets and monks”: Cronica Romana). The prestige of these places also reached Tetrarca who (“De vita solitaria” Book n° II, Chap. 6) included the Maiella among the major places (Citeaux, Chartreuse, Vallombrosa, Camaldoli) in which there are "sacra coenobia" (Sacred Cenobies) and "inter spelea silvestria devotissimae domus Christi".

From the XIth to XIIIth Centuries the religious architecture reached its full development: restorations, enlargements and enrichments of small and big abbeys (San Clemente, San Liberatore, San Salvatore), of many other churches located in different places and of two Cathedrals in the territory of Valva (Corfinio and Sulmona).