L'Arciconfraternita della SS. Trinità di Sulmona è una delle più antiche d'Abruzzo e la più antica di Sulmona, essendo stata fondata agli inizi del XIV secolo.

The cathedral is dedicated to Bishop San Panfilo - protector of the city - and is the oldest church in Sulmona. It is located at the northern end of the town, at quite a distance from its original historical centre. According to tradition it was built in the 8th century on the ruins of a pagan temple dedicated to Apollo and Vesta.  Another local legend suggests that after the death of the...

La Chiesa del Santissimo Crocifisso di Sulmona è un edificio di origine seicentesca, distrutto dal sisma del 1706 e ricostruito in stile barocco. Il sisma del 1915 ha danneggiato profondamente anche la nuova costruzione rendendo necessari ulteriori interventi di ricostruzione. La facciata, che culmina in un frontone triangolare, è decorata ai lati da due...

The church of the Madonna del Carmine, with the adjoining accommodation for either pilgrims, or used as a hospital, was erected in 1225 at the behest of Gentile di Gualtiero di Benedetto Pagano in an area outside the city, beyond Porta Salvatoris.  The church, originally dedicated to Sant'Agata, was sold initially by Pagano to the Chapter of St. Peter's in Rome and, later, it passed to...

Located along the important road of Corso Ovidio, the church of SS. Trinity is documented from the beginning of the 16th century. Its history is closely linked to that of the confraternity of the same name, which established its headquarters there at the end of the 16th century, when the Celestini monks of the nearby Abbey Santo Spirito al Morrone conceded the church to them.  At that stage it...

The small church was built in the late 16th century by the Capuchin Fathers, who arrived in Sulmona in about that time.  It was built about three kilometres from the city in the quiet and pleasant area of ​​Colle Savente, where there was already a small oratory dedicated to San Girolamo. Its foundation seems to date back to 1575-80.  The structure,...

The construction of the church and the oratory of San Filippo Neri began in the mid-17th century and ended in 1677. The congregation, however, in principle, was located - along with that of the Jesuits - at the Church of St. Ignatius, located in Piazza XX Settembre, which no longer exists.  It only later moved to Piazza Maggiore - now Piazza Garibaldi - within the lively and populous Borgo...

The first mention of the church of San Francesco della Scarpa dates back to 1241, when its construction had already been completed.   In 1290, by order of King Charles II of Anjou, it was rebuilt and enlarged so as to be much more impressive than it had been previously, with the intetnion that it should be "the most important medieval Franciscan church of Abruzzo". ...

The Paolotti Fathers, from the Order of the Minimi of San Francesco di Paola, probably arrived in the city thanks to the Capograssi family who were very much devoted to the saint.  They settled in the area just outside Porta Napoli, where there was the small church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. In 1619 the mayors of the City of Sulmona granted them this site together with some...

The foundation of the church of San Gaetano - the ancient Santa Maria Intus - also formerly known as Santa Maria di Pietraldoni or Pietraluna, probably dates back to the Middle Ages.  We know this from the recent discoveries on site of a semi-circular apse attributable to the 8th century, which still shows traces of a decorated fresco awning and lengths of the perimeter walls which surrounded...

The church has ancient origins and is in fact mentioned both in a notarial document of 1266 and in the city’s cadastral records of 1376. Originally, it was smaller but was enlarged in the mid 17th century.  The facade however, remained unfinished. The building in its current form is the result of the 18th century reconstruction following the earthquake of 1706. In 1748 the parish of...

Located on the eastern side of Piazza Garibaldi, set apart from the surrounding buildings, the small church of San Rocco was built in the 15th century. It was formerly named for San Sebastian and the change of dedication was perhaps due to a severe epidemic that spread thoughout Sulmona in the second half of the century, strengthening the faithful's devotion to the saint, who was a protector...

It has long been believed that the church and the annexed convent were the home of the Benedictine nuns who originally resided here and that later on, due to the fact that the nuns had taken sides in the fight between the Merlini and Quatrario families, the cloister was closed in 1406 and passed to the Celestine friars who inhabited it until 1656, when it was destroyed by a big earthquake. ...

The keystone of the portal shows the initial purchaser, Domenico Cattaneo. The church currently does not house works of any value.   The simple interior has a single nave with a high relief on the right wall, representing Saint Lucia with two figures praying at her feet.

We do not know the exact period of construction of this building however its present form would suggest reconstruction works following the earthquake of 1706. On the front door there used to be insignias, which are no longer visible, of the Merlini family -  one of the oldest and most aristocratic families of Sulmona which died out in the mid 17th century. The three letters...

The church, probably originally called Santa Maria di Pietrafitta, is situated in the area once known as Montagnano. From 1250 it was the home of the Cistercians from Santa Maria Arabona of Manoppello - who actually first settled, in 1232, in Santa Maria dei Corboni in the area of Marane in Sulmona - from which both the church and the area took on its present name. ...

According to tradition, the church of Santa Maria della Tomba was built on the ruins of an ancient temple of Jupiter or, as reported by some local scholars, on part of what was to later become the home of the poet Ovid. The name derives instead from the existence of an ancient building, believed to be a tomb, which was located along the central nave, and was demolished in the 17th century. In...

The building is part of the abbey of the same name, and has for centuries shared its history. The complex, built in the mid-13th century on the slopes of Mount Morrone is the extension of an existing chapel dedicated to Santa Maria del Morrone. At the behest of the future Pope Celestine V, the construction of a new church was begun in 1268 which was dedicated to the Holy Spirit, and included...

The church is located in the heart of the district of Porta Japasseri.   It was founded in 1280 by the Dominican fathers at the behest of Charles I of Anjou who was particularly connected to the religious order. Initially dedicated to St. Nicholas of Myra, it always enjoyed privileges and donations from the royal house. The convent attached to the church was built...

The church, with its former title of San Nicola della Forma was first mentioned in the Land Registry of 1376, while the monastery, according to historical tradition, was built by the Sulmonesi around 1443 in gratitude to San Giovanni da Capestrano, for bringing about an end to the struggles between the Merlino and Quatrario families that had long devastated the city. ...

Information about the origins of the monastery of St. Catherine is conflicting. Some scholars go back to the 12th century, but most believe that the history of the complex begins in 1325, with the foundation of a female Dominican convent, and the annexed Church, by one ‘Angelerio’ - from a local family although he himself was a native of nearby Caramanico - who was canon of the Cathedral of San...

The foundation of the monastery of Santa Chiara, located on the south-western edge of Piazza Garibaldi, dates back to the years between 1260 and 1269 and was commissioned by the Blessed Floresenda or Floresella, daughter of the Earl of Palena, Tommaso di Caprofico. It is  certainly one of the oldest monastic settlements of the Poor Clares in the Kingdom of Naples and, in time, it also became...

Il complesso, dedicato alla SS. Annunziata e costituito dalla chiesa con l’annesso palazzo, è forse il monumento più rappresentativo e celebre della città di Sulmona, poiché racchiude e sintetizza, anche visivamente, molti secoli di storia e di espressioni artistiche. Chiesa ed ospedale furono fondati nel 1320 dalla confraternita laica dei Compenitenti (o della Penitenza), che aveva...

The small, rural church of Santa Maria di Roncisvalle rises up near the western side of Sulmona’s city walls.  It is situated on the ancient road to Rome which was known as either Numicia or Minucia, along the same stretch of road which later became the Regio Tratturo. According to tradition, this road derived its name from a cruel and bloody historical episode between the inhabitants of...