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The Chiesa di San Felice of Cantalice: the Baroque sanctuary on the rooftop of the village
The Church of St Felix stands at the highest point of Cantalice, on the very site where Felix Porri, the Capuchin friar canonised in 1712 as the first saint of the Order, was born. The 18th-century church was built where his family home once stood. From the small square in front of the entrance, the view stretches across the plain of Rieti (Piana Reatina) as far as Monte Terminillo.
Façade and interior
Two niches on the façade house statues of St Felix and St Gregory the Great. Inside, the Latin cross plan unfolds beneath a dome frescoed with scenes depicting the saint's miracles: healings, visions, and episodes from his life as a questant friar in 16th-century Rome. The pipe organ is original and still in working order. The overall effect is Baroque without undue excess, it is a community church, built to honour a son of the village.
The procession of 18 May
On 18 May every year, the statue of St Felix is carried down the 350 steps linking the church to the centre of the village. This is the most deeply felt celebration in Cantalice, a procession that brings the entire community together. Those who wish to understand what this saint truly means to the people of Cantalice should come on that day.
