medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Yesterday (7. August) was the feast day of:
Albert of Sassoferrato (Bl.; d. 1350, traditionally). A native of of today's Sassoferrato (AN) in the Marche, A. entered religion at the nearby Benedictine monastery of Santa Croce dei Conti. Our sources for him are all scanty and early modern, reflecting what by the later fifteenth century were well established local cults of A. and of the somewhat younger Bl. Gerard of Sassoferrato. Said to have been notably austere in his personal life and an exceptionally unswerving follower of the Rule, A. was traditionally invoked for relief of afflictions of the head and of the stomach. His cult, adopted by the Camaldolese, who assumed control of Santa Croce dei Conti in 1612, was confirmed in 1837. Today is his _dies natalis_. In a bit of a stretch, the RM (2004 revision) calls him a monk of the Camaldolese Order.
As one enters Sassoferrato from the east along the viale B. Buozzi (coming, say, from Genga or from Arcevia), Santa Croce dei Conti is plainly visible on a rise above the Sentino opposite the medieval town. Its originally twelfth-century church, perhaps the least impressive externally of four in the Marche with very similar ground plans, is worth a look. Some brief, Italian-language accounts:
http://www.bancamarche.it/abbazie/pagine/an_15.htm
http://tinyurl.com/2n2glq
http://www.cadnet.org/sassoferrato/s_croce.html
Its Italia nell'Arte Medievale page:
http://tinyurl.com/3dvadk
Views of capitals and other carved stones (but the text here is more than a bit doubtful):
http://tinyurl.com/26rzzj
The four churches referred to above have been studied by Hildegard Sahler of the Bayerisches Amt für Denkmalschutz. Her 1998 book on them, _San Claudio al Chienti und die romanischen Kirchen des Vierstützentyps in den Marken_, is advertised here:
http://www.rhema-verlag.de/books/kg_txt/sahl01.html
San Claudio al Chienti is located in Corridonia (MC). More views, etc.:
http://tinyurl.com/3bh2g9
http://spazioinwind.libero.it/iconografia/Claudiochienti.htm
http://www.sistemamuseale-mc.it/dettagli.aspx?ID=471&A=471
The other two are:
Santa Maria delle Moje, located at Moie di Maiolati Spontini (AN):
http://tinyurl.com/3ajdnm
http://medioevo.org/artemedievale/Pages/Marche/Moje.html
and a real jewel (in part because of its setting), San Vittore alle Chiuse, located at San Vittore di Genga (AN):
http://tinyurl.com/34lv5q
http://medioevo.org/artemedievale/Pages/Marche/Genga.html
http://tinyurl.com/3d4wzk
http://www.cadnet.marche.it/genga/frazioni.html
http://tinyurl.com/2ufulo
The abbey of San Vittore alle Chiuse is first documented from 1007 (the church, which is just about all that's left of it, is probably late eleventh-century in origin). That's good enough to make 2007-08 the monastery's Millennial Year. The opening festivities, which took place in the church one Wednesday evening early last month, featured two really excellent lectures, one by Sandra Isetta of Genoa ("Qui era San Vittore?") and one by Dr. Sahler ("La Chiesa abbaziale di S.Vittore alle Chiuse nel contesto dell’architettura romanica marchigiana").
Best,
John Dillon
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