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The Church of St Anatolia in Percile: Where Devotion Remains Painted on the Walls
The small church of Sant'Anatolia overlooks a small square on the edge of the historic centre of Percile, in the Aniene Valley. Built in 1642, it has a simple yet elegant appearance, dedicated to thaumaturgic saints — those who, according to tradition, healed illnesses and protected against dangers. The interior walls are covered with frescoes that tell this very story: the concrete devotion of a community that sought everyday protection through faith.
The frescoes and their saints
The frescoes depict the Madonna of Mount Carmel, St Anthony Abbot and St Anthony of Padua, two martyrs, St Gregory the Great and a bishop saint. A crescendo that culminates in the scene above the altar. On the sides, St Roch, protector against the plague, and St Lucy, patron saint of the village. In the centre is St Anatolia, holding in one hand the palm and the sword of her martyrdom, in the other the serpent from which she is said to have saved Audax, the Roman soldier who converted thanks to her.
The cult of St Anatolia in the Aniene Valley
Devotion to the saint is not limited to Percile. The relics of St Anatolia and St Audax are kept in the Benedictine Monasteries of Subiaco. In Gerano a church is dedicated to her, built by St Gregory the Great in the 6th century.
How to get there
The church is located in Via Piana, 00020 Percile (RM).
