Part of our visit to Rionero Sannitico was a stop at the Abbey of San Vincenzo al Volturno (Abbazia di San Vincenzo al Volturno), a monastery which ruled over Rionero and the surrounding area for centuries.

Leaving Rionero we had a classic Italian tourist experience and took a long and very narrow winding road to get out of the city. After many minutes heading down a single lane we encountered a blocked road and thought Russell would have to go in reverse the whole way back, but luckily there were construction workers repairing a house who moved all of the equipment out the street so we could get past. They were so kind, and we finally headed out into the countryside to the Abbey.

Origins and History

The Abbey of San Vincenzo is located near the Volturno River, a place with origins as a Samnite settlement in the Iron Age. Eventually it became a Roman town with a cemetery down the road. There is also evidence of a late-Roman temple-structure at the foundation level of the Abbey that they believe to be in honor of Jupitar (and Apollo). The people in the area were known to hold rituals for the gods up through the 6th century.

By 700 CE there was a small monastic Christian group living there amongst the farmers in the area. And by 850, the monastery added a basilica, crypt, housing, refectory, 9 churches, fortifying walls, and many other buildings growing to become a large city-complex for the religious members who lived inside.

Layout of San Vincenzo in 880 CE - photo credit The Past website

In late 800s, Abbot Maio who oversaw San Vincenzo al Volturno, made a dangerous enemy - Athanasius II who wrongfully usurped his brother to become the Bishop and Duke of Naples and was on a mission to gain land and power. The Duke sought control over the area and often employed groups of Arabs as mercenaries to disrupt powerful strongholds. San Vincenzo was attacked by Arab raiders sent by the Duke of Naples in 881 CE with the intent of gaining control of the land and trading opportunities. In the end, the surviving monks exchanged control of the area for the safe passage of Maio and the other survivors to monasteries in Capua.

By 916 CE, the political tensions had settled and the religious community returned to the ruins to try and rebuild, but never reached their former glory. Around 1100 CE the order moved to the other bank of the Volturno River and built the new Abbey, which is still present today. This history was recorded in the Chronicon Vulturnense, a 12th century account of the monastery from 800-1200 CE.

Eventually, the story and buildings were lost in time and the history of the attack was left unsubstantiated. Some thought the Abbey had simply been lost after falling into disrepair while others knew remnants of the story, but distanced themselves from the complex politics that brought on the destruction and instead told a story that was a little more palatable for them, saying that Arab groups attacked and decimated the abbey and the monks there were martyrs of the faith rather than political pawns of nearby rivals.

This history surrounding the original structures of the Abbey of San Vincenzo al Volturno remained shrouded in mystery for centuries without proof for the claims in the Chonicon Vulturnense, which was considered a sloppy and disorganized history. But in 1980, archeological excavations of the area began and through a miraculous happenstance they made the find of a lifetime.

Rosalinda Iannotta, an 80-year-old blind woman who grew up in the area asked to come tour the site with her nephew. They walked through, describing the area to her as they went and at one point she stopped and declared that the ruins of a great city were there. It’s said she spoke as if she were actually present and described the events of 881 in detail where the Abbey was destroyed and the monks escaped to Capua for safety. Although they disregarded her at the time, 13 years later they discovered the great basilica there and a painted crypt exactly where she had stood.

This discovery brought so much new information and confirmations to their work. They were able to find evidence of the monks’ final meal still sitting in the refectory and also arrowheads, proving the claims of the 881 attack. Extensive excavation work was done between 1980-86, it is unclear to me how active the site remains today. One of the primary archeologists working there, Richard Hodges, has written two books on the findings, Light in the Dark Ages: Rise and Fall of San Vincenzo al Volturno (1997) and Il Pompei del Medioevo, (The Pompeii of the Middle Ages) (1993). There are also several documentaries on the subject available in Italian.

Looking out towards the excavation sites from the Abbey

The Abbey Today

There has been a Catholic presence at the Abbey of San Vincenzo consistently since their return in 916 CE and the move to the new Abbey in 1100. For many centuries they struggled to rebuild and have gone through ups and downs. The Monastic order was restored in 1990 and now houses a small order of Benedictine nuns, including a very cheerful and friendly nun from Poland who stopped and spoke to me for a while as she was driving past and told me about the order and the other nuns who lived there with her.

The bells ring out in the quiet countryside and the Abbey Church is open for people to tour. They hold occasional concerts or other services there and the nuns have a guesthouse nearby where people are welcomed to come and rest in body and spirit. The church and grounds are open to walk around. You can see remnants there from old columns and arches. The main excavation site for the old ruins is down the road from the current buildings just a short car ride away. I would love to return again and find a guide with more information about the different sections and when they were built.

Arial photo of the excavation site now - photo credit The Past website

Walking around here you can feel the spiritual presence and weight that comes from thousands of years of history and worship, to whichever deity it may be. I felt blessed to be on land that has been a spiritual resting place for so many people, even through political and religious upheaval. It was a good reminder that then those in power seek to disrupt for their own selfish reasons, but it is the people who remain, who work to continue their life and find their god where they can.