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Sanctuary of the Crucifix in Bassiano: a frescoed cave in the heart of the Lepini Mountains
Three kilometers from the village of Bassiano, along Via della Croce, the Sanctuary of the Crucifix is located in the Selva Scura area at the foot of Mount Carbolino. Its name comes from the wooden Crucifix of 1673, a work by Friar Vincenzo Pietrosanti, a Franciscan monk and native of Bassiano who dedicated himself to creating sculptures only on Fridays, on his knees, after fasting. The religious complex, inhabited by the Fraticelli (or Bisocchi) as early as the 12th and 13th centuries, is one of the most charming yet lesser-known places of worship in southern Lazio.
The Chapel of the Palms
The portico leads to the Chapel of the Madonna delle Palme (Our Lady of the Palms), a rectangular structure with two aisles. Inside, you can find: the Madonna del Latte (Nursing Madonna), a fresco from the early 15th century, the Madonna Enthroned and Child (16th century, a detached fresco), and St James the Pilgrim (late 16th century). From the side aisle, a corridor leads to the natural cave, which is the heart of the sanctuary.
The frescoed cave
The rectangular-shaped cave features a ceiling of stalactites and walls entirely decorated with frescoes from the first half of the 15th century, almost certainly executed by the Fraticelli themselves. The scenes, arranged in a hemicycle, depict Mary Magdalene, the Annunciation, the Crucifixion, Christ in Majesty with four saints, St Anne, St George, and other subjects. During the restorations of 1978, the floor level (walking surface) was lowered by more than a metre, altering the original perspectives of the frescoes. Adjacent to the cave, the Round Chapel built at the end of the 17th century houses the Crucifix.
