THE MONASTERY HISTORY

The events of the extraordinary, monastic town of San Vincenzo al Volturno are told in the Chronicon Volturnense, an illuminated code wrote in the 12th century by a monk named Giovanni, in the language of Benevento.
The history starts in 703, when three youths of noble-family from Benevento, choose this extreme zone of the Samnium, close to the sources of Volturno river, to raise the foundations of the monastery with the approval of the duke of Benevento, Gisuifo. At the end of the 8th century, after the privilege issued by the emperor Carlo Magno, the Abbey is thrown in the European wide outline. The most important moment of this political and spiritual ascent is marked by the Abbot Giosuè (729-8 I 7), who, through a wide, architectural-reorganization programme, transforms San Vincenzo into one of the most important monastic towns of Europe. This ambitious building project was carried out by his successors Talarico and Epifanio, who completed these radical restructurings: the old abbatial church was transformed into a residential complex, the yard and the refectory were restructured and decorated with pictorial cycles and long arcades were created, joining  the different environments. But the most ambitious project was the building of the big basilica of “San Vincenzo Maggiore”: it is 64 metres long and almost 30 wide. Inside, the building was divided through grey and pink, marble columns, into three aisles, each one ending with an apse. Below the central one, the so called crypt of Giosuè develops, that is a semi-annular structure decorated with geometrical and figurative frescoes. The ascent of San Vincenzo came to a standstill in the 88’s when a horde of Saracens sacked the monastery, killing several monks. Successively, they tried to rebuilt and restructure the monastic town; at the façade of the basilica was added a bell-tower, the inhabited and welcoming places were reorganised, the magnificent chapel of Santa Restituta was realized. Yet the lack of political, economic and safety guarantees caused the site isolation and supported the building of a little coenobium on the opposite bank of the river, which is still existing.

THE MATERIAL CULTURE
The common idea of a Middle Ages where arts and knowledge sink into oblivion, is completely denied by the material testimonies found in San Vincenzo al Volturno. Several handiworks of remarkable beauty and fine realization highlight a reality not yet appreciated entirely. The studies shows that artistic hands worked in the monastery. Their work is still visible, especially in the crypts of Giosuè and Epifanio, in the chapel of Santa Restituta and in the Prophet Hall, but each environment preserves the testimonies of the high skills of these artists. They realized all their works of cabinet-making, refined jeweller’s art, sculpture and glass art in the monastic workrooms. Among the several handiworks found, some little metal and glass-pulp plates of refined beauty, realized with cloisonné-enamel technique, deserve particular attention. While, among the jewellery, knight-harnesses made of damascened metal show up. But the most important productions which give a magnificent aspect to this monastery are the glasses, inscriptions and frescoes ones. The number of glass fragments found out in different shapes, dimensions and varied colours is remarkable; these were used either to cover the windows and the realization of liturgical furniture; while, the inscriptions were realized not only on marble bases, in order to celebrate works and functions of the various buildings, but also on the floor tiles; at last along the inner walls of each building, there were either geometrical and figurative motives of complex pictorial cycles. But the productive reality of San Vincenzo interested also the daily life of the monks. There is a large quantity of fragments of altar and fire-fragments made of ceramics, utensils, iron keys, and finally objects for personal care like combs and jewels.

THE EXCAVATIONS HISTORY
The archaeological excavations of the magnificent monastery of San Vincenzo al Volturno extend among the sources of Volturno river, the tower Hill and the village of Cartiera, in the territory of the Commune of Castel San Vincenzo. The story begins in 1832 when a farmer, tilling his own land, suddenly fell into a completely painted cavity. After the initial confusion, the farmer, alerted the competent authorities and they began the recovery works of the structure immediately. At the beginning the building was identified as a little “rock church” dedicated to San Lorenzo because of the fresco representing his martyrdom. But in 1980, after the arrival of the Professor Richard Hodges in San Vincenzo al Volturno, at that time he was teacher at the West Anglia University, people began to understand the relevance of the site. The archaeological surveys coordinated by the Professor Hodges and carried on by a group of scholars from all over the world, reached extraordinary results in a few years. At the beginning they investigated the area adjacent the crypt of Epifanio, where the eldest structures of the monastery were brought to light: the so called Southern Church, the court yard, the refectory and the Prophets Hall. The large quantity of coloured-glass finds, painted plaster, pottery and excellent-making metals, put San Vincenzo at the centre of the world, scientific interest. These results, joint with the oral tradition perpetuated during the centuries, incited the archaeologists to study in depth the research. In the South of the Hill the monastic workrooms were dug and identified the outside walls of the big basilica of Giosuè with the belonging crypt which appeared with unexpected beauty. In 1999 the scientific direction of the excavations passed to the Professor Federico Marazzi, teacher of Mediaeval Archaeology at the University of Naples, Suor Orsola Benincasa. In the recent excavations, the “Basilica Maggiore”, the Northern area and the paving of Santa Restituta were investigated entirely and the monastic kitchens and the so called lovatorium excavated.

MONASTERY OF SAN VINCENZO
A natural beauty on the fringes of the National Park of Abruzzo.
The archaeological site of the ancient, monastic settlement of San Vincenzo is situated in Molise, near Isernia, on the outskirts of the sources of Volturno river, one of the largest and full of history river of our peninsula.
In the North, the old abbey was surrounded by the Mainarde mountain range and in the South by the Matese massif. The San Vincenzo area is comprised in the territory of two neighbouring villages: Rocchetta al Volturno and Castel San Vincenzo. It is situated near the highway to Roccaraso for who comes from Rome or Naples. Placed at the Southern edges of the National Park of Abruzzo, the area offers a naturalistic show which is very important for its flora and fauna, a place where you can go for a pleasant Sunday trip, supported by the several tourist centres present in the zone. Near the archaeological excavations, in the rooms of Pandone Palace, restructured a few years ago, there is a community of Benedictines formed by nuns of the Order from the United States.