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| The Abbey |
| Next ~ Sulmona |
| If you followed "Journey I" you will remember my experience at Eremo di Santo Spirito ~ the hermitage further up mountains from Roccamorice; home of my maternal nonni, Salvatore. One thing is for certain... Italy has mulitudes of abbeys, hermitages and churches, and this one in San Clemente is a true standout... Antonio wanted us to see this abbey because he knew how much we loved visiting at Santo Spirito ~ I was ecstatic when he said he wanted to take us here, and given that Cantina Zaccagnini makes the "San Clemente" wine served at the Vatican it was a MUST... Antonio is so pleased with himself because he is an excellent guide and he knows the Abruzzo area as well if not better than anyone else. Pamela and I were blessed and beyond fortunate to have met him during our first trip to Italy, and I think he feels the same way about us ~ Antonio and I are kindred spirits and "being" Italian is who we are... The outside of the abbey is formidable, but nearly so much as when inside... The exterior is large and I didn't know quite what to expect ~ I've never been in an "abbey" before. The doors are huge and there are beautiful carvings above them, just like at the church in San Valentino... One thing is for sure ~ you know when you reach the door you are about to enter a "Holy" place. |
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| Abbazia di San Clemente |
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| This is the largest yucca bush I have ever seen. People actually carved their names onto the leaves |
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| I was surprised that the abbey was not locked. Pamela and I told Antonio that this sort of building probably would not be unlocked unless it was closely surpervised or guarded... It was obvious that there were grounds keepers somewhere, but the entire time we were there we never spotted anyone, but us. Walking through the large front doors and not knowing exactly what I would see was exciting. I remembered when I went to Santo Spirito everything thing was locked down and we were so disappointed that we couldn't see inside. I was now about to see the inside of my first abbey, and I was more than just excited. One of the most awesome facts about the inside of the abbey is that the ceilings are really high! It is almost like a huge hall, and even the lowest of conversation seems to echo through out... Not being terribly religious I was not sure what I was looking at. There appeared to be religious "ritual" structures that dated back hundreds of centuries ago. For me everything was "symbolic" and I didn't understand it all, but that didn't stop me from cocking my head backwards in awe... This is indeed holy ground and I could feel that same lump in my throat that I felt at Santo Spirito just a short 6 months earlier... I could feel the "spirit" of the abbey and it was very good. I reminded myself more than once that this is the reason I came... |
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| Little bush with bright yellow flowers growing on a low roof |
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| Carvings on the top and front of the gigantic structure to the RIGHT -->>>> |
| More carvings and drawings on the ABOVE gigantic structure. A ship with paddles, what appears to be some sort of Crest and another small boat with paddes? I found this drawing quite strange and really couldn't figure out it's meaning and significance. |
| Detailed look at carvings above the entrance door |
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| This is what was roped off in the photo directly above... We, including Antonio were completely unsure of what it was, but realized it was important enough to protect |
| The crypt below the Abbey. Although it can't be seen, there was a lot of graffiti on the walls down here. This wasdefinitely an area rich with history... we just didn't know what that history was... |
| Another photo of the crypt below the abbey. Again, the photos do not show the graffiti sprawled all over the walls |
| This is such an incredible place. If you would like to learn more about San Clemente's Abbey, the history and structures click here: Abbazia di San Clemente |
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