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The Ruins of the Church of St Lawrence in Contigliano: a typical Romanesque Parish Church of Sabina
The ruins of the Church of San Lorenzo (St Lawrence) lie just outside Contigliano, in the province of Rieti, on a small hill in open countryside. This is the oldest surviving documented site in the municipal territory: the Romanesque parish church, first mentioned in 1153 in a papal bull of Pope Anastasius IV, was built in the 12th century by Cistercian craftsmen over the remains of a Roman villa.
A Church That Tells Centuries of History
The single-nave structure with its gabled façade and bell-gable is characteristic of the Romanesque parish churches of the Sabina region. According to local legend, St Lawrence Church is the last surviving trace of the medieval settlement of Cotilia, destroyed and rebuilt higher up the hill where Contigliano now stands. At the end of the 13th century, when the village was fortified, the parish church was moved inside the walls: the Church of San Michele Arcangelo (Archangel St Michael) was founded, and St Lawrence began its slow decline.
The Feast of San Lorenzo
Yet the place was not forgotten. Since 1660 — every 10 August, the night of the shooting stars — one of the oldest fairs in the province of Rieti has been held here. It was once devoted to livestock trading, and attended by people from all across Sabina. Today, the fair continues among stalls selling local produce and a Mass celebrated within the centuries-old walls, the church having been restored in 2014, with the recovery of the baptismal font and the stone altar.
