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The Church of St Lawrence in Rocchettine: An 18th-Century Church in the Ghost Village of Torri in Sabina
Rocchettine is a completely abandoned village in the municipality of Torri in Sabina, in the Sabina part of Rieti. Among the ruins of the medieval castle and houses of the ancient local lords, the Church of San Lorenzo is the only building to have survived intact. It was built in 1764, during the episcopate of Cardinal Francesco Albani, Bishop of Sabina, at the community's expense, using stones from the very noble dwellings that were already in ruins. A village that dismantled itself to build its church.
The Architecture
The façade is plain, plastered, with a molded portal and a large deeply splayed window in the centre. On the right side is a large yet essential bell gable. The interior is composed of a single nave with side niches housing altars, and ends with a curvilinear apse. The walls are covered with stucco work decorating the side altars — a stark contrast to the sobriety of the exterior. The floor is terracotta, the vault in masonry with lunettes aligning with the windows. Thanks to a recent restoration, its original 18th-century appearance has returned.
The Ghost Village
Rocchettine is reachable on foot from the village of Torri in Sabina by a trail through the woods. The ruins of the medieval castle lie around the church. No one lives here, but the church is open. It is one of those places where silence weighs as much as the stones.
