Basilica di Santa Maria del Colle

History

The first temple, dating back to the 11th century and dependent on the Montecassino Abbey, was located outside the town center, perched on the Peschio, while the parish church was under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Sulmona. In 1456, the church was destroyed by an earthquake but was rebuilt by 1466 in the new, more extensive town center, becoming the parish seat and thus linking the entire village to the Diocese of Cassino.

Between 1556 and 1558, the building was expanded to five naves of four bays, as it appears today, compared to the three naves and three bays of the 15th-century structure, and a new façade in Renaissance style was constructed, overlooking a large terrace. The ancient Romanesque-Gothic portal was moved in 1580 to the entrance of the northern side, at the top of a flight of stairs.

In the years 1691 to 1694, the Chapel of the Sacrament was built. The bell tower, dating back to the late 16th century, was restored in 1635 and 1855, when the octagonal spire was replaced with a quadrangular one. Already designated as a Collegiata, in 1978, Santa Maria del Colle was elevated to the dignity of a minor basilica.

Architecture

The interior features architecture in stone, enlivened by the polychromy of the furnishings, with the carved, painted, and gilded wood of the statues (including the 13th-century Madonna del Colle), the pulpit, various altars, the choir loft (a work by Bartolomeo Balcone from Rome-Sulmona dating back to 1619), and the five coffered ceilings, mainly crafted by Carlo Sabatini of Anversa degli Abruzzi between 1670 and 1682, completed in 1742.

In marble are the antependia and the baptismal font, created by the local craftsmen Panfilo Rainaldi and Filippo Mannella. The basilica houses numerous oil paintings attributed to Tanzio da Varallo, including the notable Madonna dell'incendio sedato, as well as Giovanni Paolo Cardone and Francesco Peresi. The vault of the Chapel of the Sacrament is decorated with a fresco by the Neapolitan Giambattista Gamba. A 16th-century panel depicting the Madonna and Saints by Palma il Vecchio was stolen during the German occupation of 1943–44.

The majestic wrought iron gate, crafted by Sante di Rocco from Pescocostanzo, begun in 1699–1705 and completed in 1707 by his nephew Ilario, features figures of animals, humans, and angels. On the architrave of the craftsman's workshop, located at the foot of the staircase, is inscribed the motto ETENIM NON POTUERUNT MIHI (yet they could not defeat me). The bronze eagles of the stoups are the work of Cosimo Fanzago. The choir, the Chapel of the Sacrament, and the altar of Saint Elizabeth are adorned with stucco decorations by the Lombard craftsmen Gianni and Ferradini. …

Chapel of the Suffrage of the Dead

Adjacent to the Collegiate Church, it dates back to the 16th century, featuring a horizontally terminated facade, reproducing a type very common in Abruzzo. The facade is divided into three parts by flat stone pilasters, balancing the relationship between the limited height and width. At the center, a large rectangular window is above the portal, with other rectangular windows arranged in two orders. The 17th-century portal stands out, with a triangular pediment supported by columns on high bases, decorated with Baroque-style skulls flanked from behind. Inside, there is a fine and sumptuous walnut altar carved by Palmerio Grasso between 1647 and 1649, completed by Ferdinando Mosca in 1716; the wooden coffered ceiling was made between 1637 and 1639 by Pescocostanzans Bernardino D'Alessandro and Falconio Falconi, with paintings on canvas done between 1640 and 1657. Also of great interest are the two torch holders on either side of the altar, in carved and gilded wood by Rocco Falconio (1693).

Curiosities

Baptism ceremonies are celebrated according to the Ambrosian Rite, brought by Lombard craftsmen who immigrated to Pescocostanzo in the 15th and 17th centuries.

A scene with Nino Manfredi from the film Straziami ma di baci saziami (1968) was shot on the staircase outside the basilica.