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Abbey of St May of the Plain in Pozzaglia Sabina: Romanesque ruins in the Lucretili Mountains
In the Muzia Valley, within the Lucretili Mountains, the ruins of the Abbey of Santa Maria del Piano emerge from the thick vegetation. The original layout is still recognisable: a church with a Latin cross floor plan, consisting of single nave, a raised semicircular apse, and a bell tower. According to a tradition not backed up by historical evidence, Charlemagne commissioned the complex in 817 AD as an ex-voto (votive offering) to the Virgin Mary following a victory over the Saracens in the nearby plain.
From a powerful abbey to limestone ruins
The complex reached its pinnacle in the 12th and 13th centuries: the Benedictine monks, coming under the jurisdiction of the Abbey of Farfa, controlled numerous assets and territories in the surrounding areas. An inscription from 1219 (Bartholomeus hoc op fieri fecit) is still legible on the facade, testifying to a medieval restoration. Decline set in at the end of the 15th century when the monks abandoned the site. This downfall was marked by the loss of the rose window, the collapse of the facade, and the impact of 19th-century epidemics in the region.
What remains today
The Romanesque bell tower still stands, featuring a succession of single, double, and triple-light windows. Part of the apse is still visible, along with the four segmental arches that once separated the nave from the transept.
