itinerari RELIGIOSI

Le religioni seguono sempre un cammino metaforico e uno reale.
Un pellegrinaggio è un viaggio compiuto per devozione, ricerca spirituale o penitenza verso un luogo considerato sacro.
É soprattutto con il giubileo del 1300 che si impone il valore del pellegrinaggio a Roma. Di fondamentale importanza per il pellegrinaggio verso Roma era la via Francigena, chiamata anche via Romea, la strada che da Roma, città santa, portava nell’Europa centro-occidentale.
Già i Longobardi nel VII secolo usavano questa via (che poi si snodava per un certo tratto lungo l’antica via Cassia), per spostarsi lungo l’Italia, ma col tempo divenne netta la sua funzione di via di comunicazione dell’Europa centro-occidentale con il centro della cristianità, Roma, e, proseguendo a sud, con Gerusalemme.

Gli itinerari dei pellegrinaggi maggiori (Gerusalemme, Santiago di Compostela, Roma, Canterbury, S. Michele Arcangelo in Puglia, …) sono determinanti per la fondazione di santuari e monasteri.

• Basiliche Patriarcali

• Basiliche Minori

• Chiese e Arte

• Santuario del Divino Amore

• Santuari del Lazio

• Abazie del Lazio

• Sinagoga

sanctuary of lazio

Monastery of Poggio Bustone
St Francis of Assisi went to Poggio Bustone in 1208 and reputedly greeted the villagers by saying "buon giorno buona gente" (good morning good people). A gothic arch named "buon giorno" can be found in the village commemorating this event.
In the oldest section of the Franciscan monastery of Poggio Bustone, a room can be found where St. Francis stayed. On the mountainside above the village are seven small chapels containing, by tradition, impressions of objects relating to St. Francis, such as his knee. This path culminates with the small church Sacro Speco where St. Francis received forgiveness for his sins from Archangel Gabriel.


Santa Maria della Foresta, Forte Colombo and the Hermitage of Greccio
The hermitage of Greccio stands some 2 kilometres away from the village of Greccio, which is a medieval castle, built above the Rieti valley. This valley was very dear to Francis, who often passed from these surroundings on his way from Rome to Assisi. In fact we find 4 Franciscan sanctuaries in the Rieti valley, namely Greccio, Forte Colombo, Poggio Bustone and Santa Maria della Foresta.

The hermitage of Greccio is intimately linked with the celebration of Christmas which Francis organised here in Thomas of Celano (1 Cel 84-87) gives us a clear description of what took place.
The most important section of the sanctuary is the chapel of the crib, which was built in the present form in 1228. A rock under the altar indicates the place where Francis arranged the manger of the crib. The cave wall is surrounded by a fresco from the school of Giotto. It shows Francis wearing the dalmatic of a deacon and taking into his arms the infant Jesus. Another interesting section of the sanctuary is the primitive Franciscan friary, with the dormitory, the refectory and the cell of St. Francis.
Another section is made up of the friary dating from the times of St. Bonaventure. A modern church built in 1959 can take larger groups for prayer and community celebrations.