Overview

L’Aquila, the capital of Abruzzo, is an ancient city whose origins date back to 1254. Distinguished for its history and monuments, it experienced a period of extraordinary economic flourishing throughout the Middle Ages and up to the 16th century, becoming the second largest city in the Kingdom of Naples. Starting from the sixteenth century it housed a university and, towards the end of the fifteenth century, one of the first printing presses. Among its main monuments, which include important palaces, courtyards and churches, the basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio stands out, a jewel of the Abruzzo Romanesque style, built starting from 1288, with the majestic facade in white and pink stone decorated with rosettes; the basilica of S. Bernardino da Siena, dating back to the mid-15th century, with an elegantly sculpted white stone facade; the monumental Fontana delle 99 Spouts, dating back to the XIII century; the Romanesque churches of San Pietro da Coppito, with valuable theories of fresco paintings, and of San Silvestro, which, in addition to the remains of the original pictorial decoration, houses a copy of Raphael’s Visitation, the original of which is now in the Prado; the baroque church of Santa Maria del Suffragio, built in memory of the victims of the dramatic earthquake of 1703, with a chapel designed by Valadier. The monumental evidences are framed by a naturalistic context of rare charm, since the city rises at the foot of the Gran Sasso d’Italia massif, surrounded by a mountain habitat rich in woodland and fauna peculiarities and by villages and castles of considerable historical and monumental importance , in an area that is included in two national parks. The main event, with an important historical and spiritual value and with a significant identity connotation, is the Celestinian Pardon, included in the UNESCO intangible heritage list, an annual jubilee, which takes place from 23 to 29 August and takes its name from the Bull of Forgiveness , the document with which the Holy Pope Celestine V, the day after his coronation as pope, which took place on 28 August 1294 in the basilica of Collemaggio, wanted to give a plenary indulgence to anyone who had crossed the Holy Door of the Basilica of Collemaggio, between the vespers of 28 and those of 29 August. The event, which includes a rich program of cultural events, sees its main moments in the opening ceremony, on August 23, with the arrival of the Morrone Fire, after a route that follows the itinerary taken by Celestino V to reach L ‘Aquila from the Hermitage of Morrone, near Sulmona, and in the Historic Procession of 28 August, with which the precious parchment is escorted from the Municipal residence to the basilica, where it will remain on display for 24 hours. The 2022 edition of the event saw the historic presence of Pope Francis, the first pontiff in history to preside over the solemn opening ceremony of the Holy Door, who, as a further tribute to the City, wanted to extend the Celestinian Jubilee until 2023.