Church of Santa Maria Assunta: A Romanesque Monastic Church in Bominaco
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.8
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- Country
- Italy
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Kingdom of Sicily
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Church
On this page11 sections
History
The Church of Santa Maria Assunta is a medieval Catholic church in Bominaco, Italy, whose history is linked to a monastery with origins in the early Christian era. The site became the burial place of San Pellegrino, a Christian martyr who was killed at Bominaco between the third and fourth centuries after being pierced with lances. The church that survives today is predominantly Romanesque, a medieval style characterized by robust masonry and round arches, although its interior also contains later Baroque elements.
Early Christian and Benedictine Origins
An initial church was built around the eighth century. It was later donated to Farfa Abbey, a major Benedictine monastery in central Italy whose affiliated institutions could hold land and ecclesiastical authority. The monastery regained its independence in 1001.
The earliest surviving historical references appear in an imperial diploma issued by Conrad II in 1027, a papal bull of Leo IX from 1051, and a diploma of Henry V from 1118. These documents call the monastery ecclesia sancti Peregrini, or the church of Saint Pellegrino.
The Dedication to Santa Maria
A donation made by Ugo di Gerberto in 1093 dedicated the church to the Mother of God and Saint Pellegrino. This suggests that the dedication or name had changed by that time. The name Maria later appeared in inscriptions on the church’s ambo and altar, while the Oratory of San Pellegrino was probably built after this change.
Medieval Completion and Later Status
The exact date of the present church is uncertain, but it predates the ambo made in 1180 and the altar inscription dated 1223. The church was consecrated in 1233, the date also associated with its ciborium and altar. Today it is a Catholic church belonging to the Archdiocese of L’Aquila. In 1902, it was declared a National Monument of Italy.
Remains
The church follows the model of the Abbey of San Liberatore a Majella and has three naves ending in three apses. Its exterior uses restrained Romanesque forms, while the interior preserves sculpted medieval furnishings alongside Baroque alterations. A bell tower rises at the end of the right nave and has two arched openings.
Facade and Exterior
The facade is built as a smooth ashlar wall. Its gable follows the central nave, while horizontal upper lines mark the lateral naves. A simple portal opens below a central single-lancet window with a round arch. The portal archivolt carries a palmette design, and its architrave alternates palmettes with floral ornament around a lion at the center. The window is enclosed by a raised frame supported by four corbels carved as lions.
The church’s plain left side wall was connected to the former monastery. It contains four windows and two undecorated doors. The right side has windows with frames decorated in a manner similar to those on the facade. At the rear, the three apses stand on a high plinth. The central apse is taller than the lateral ones and is divided into three bays by two pilasters. Each bay contains a narrow splayed window, while nine small arches decorate the upper section. Similar ornament appears around the narrow window of the left apse, whereas the right apse has plain treatment.
Interior Structure
Twelve columns of differing forms divide the three naves and support round arches. They were presumably made with material recovered from nearby Peltuinum, an ancient settlement in the surrounding region. The nave roof was originally wooden and was later changed through the installation of Baroque vaults.
Medieval Liturgical Furnishings
The Ambo
The ambo, a raised structure used for reading or proclaiming religious texts, stands beside the fourth column on the left side of the central nave. Made by Abbot Giovanni in 1180, it rests on three cylindrical columns and one spiral column, all fitted with Corinthian capitals. Their architraves carry elaborate friezes that support rectangular balconies. The two side balconies are divided by a pillar into two sections, each containing a carved flower. The front balcony has three sections, with a semicylinder in the middle serving as a lectern.
The Presbytery and Altar
The presbytery is raised three steps above the nave and separated from it by two cross-shaped pilasters. It has a vaulted ceiling. The ciborium, a canopy over the altar, and the altar itself date to 1233, the year of the church’s consecration.
Easter Candle Holder and Cathedra
Beside the ciborium stands an Easter candle holder formed by a spiral column carried by a stylophore lion, a sculpted support bearing a column. The column ends in a capital that supports a crown holding the candle. Abbot Giovanni is also credited with the cathedra in the central apse. A cathedra is the official chair of a bishop and represents episcopal teaching authority.
