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The Abbey of Valvisciolo in Sermoneta: the oldest Cistercian Gothic church in the Marittima and Campagna region
Standing between Sermoneta and Norma, at the foot of Monte Corvino, Valvisciolo Abbey is the oldest Cistercian Gothic church in the Marittima and Campagna region. Dedicated to Saints Peter and Stephen, it was built between 1150 and 1170. Its name comes from another abbey — the mountain-top abbey of Carpineto — which was likely abandoned due to excessively harsh environmental conditions.
From Greek Basilian monks to the Cistercians
Around the year 1000, Greek Basilian monks were already in situ. But it was the Cistercians, around the mid-12th century, that completed the abbey in its current form. The side aisles, smaller than the central nave, were added later — as shown by the arches: pointed on the pillars, rounded in the central nave.
Rose window, cloister, chapter house, and the White Gallery
The façade is gabled, with a single portal and a large rose window featuring 12 small marble columns. The square cloister was restored in 1957: during the work, fragments of twisted and smooth small columns, capitals, and carved sepulchral stones were uncovered. These elements were reused in the reconstruction. The chapter house, dating from the 12th century, is lit up by three splayed single-light windows without decorative friezes. In the year 2000, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage completed the restoration of the church, including the replacement of the floor. Since 2003, the abbey has housed the "White Gallery": around 50 works including engravings, drawings, and woodcuts by Dürer, Piranesi, Delacroix, Camuccini, Reni, and Luca Giordano, plus an oil painting by Pomarancio.
