Castelpetroso - Castelpetroso

Castelpetroso is a center of the Molise.

To know

There is the Sanctuary of Maria Santissima Addolorata, patron saint ofAbruzzo.

Geographical notes

It stands onMolise Apennines, inIsernino, on the top of a hill straddling two valleys. It is 15 km from Isernia, 17 from Bojano.

Background

The country can be identified with the Colle Petroso mentioned in documents dated 964, when Prince Pandolfo Capodiferro delimits the County of Isernia.

The place was later fortified, and the abundance of pyres gave it the name, used in documents existing in the archive of theMontecassino Abbey of 1011, when two churches of its territory were donated to the Cassinese monastery by the bishop of Bojano.

How to orient yourself

The majority of the inhabitants live in the 5 hamlets: Indiprete, Guasto, Pastena, Camere and Casale. The central core of Castelpetroso consists of a medieval village still intact but inhabited only by a few dozen people.

The most populous fraction is Indiprete which is about 3 km from Castelpetroso (over 900 inhabitants) and it is where the main economic activities of the town are based.

Neighborhoods

Its municipal territory also includes the hamlets of Camere, Casale, Guasto, Indiprete and Pastena.

How to get

By plane

• Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO), Via dell 'Fiumicino Airport, 320, ☎ 39 06 65951. 
• Naples Capodichino Airport (NAP), Viale F. Ruffo di Calabria, 80144 Naples NA, ☎ 39 081 7896111. 
• Pescara airport (Abruzzo International Airport), Via Tiburtina Km 229.100, ☎ 39 085 4324201. 

By car

• Adriatic Highway A14

• from the north: exit at Montenero di Bisaccia/Vast South/San Salvo, take the SS 650 (Fondo Valle Trigno) in the direction of Isernia, in Sessano del Molise continue straight, SS 85 in the direction of Castelpetroso.
• from the south follow the direction Pescara, continue on the A16 motorway, follow the direction Benevento, in Benevento continue on the SS 88, exit at Campobasso, take the SS 87 (state road Bifernina) in the direction of Campobasso/Isernia, continue on the SS 17, take the SP 52, SP 36, SP 37DIR for Castelpetroso.

• Autostrada del Sole A1 Rome - Naples

• from the north exit at San Vittore, follow the direction Venafro on the SS 6, in Venafro continue on the SS 85, continue on the SS 17 in the direction of Campobasso/Benevento, take the SP 52, SP 36, SP 37DIR for Castelpetroso.
• from the south exit at Caianello, follow the signs for Isernia, SS 85, continue on the SS 17 in the direction of Campobasso/Benevento, take the SP 52, SP 36, SP 37DIR for Castelpetroso.

• From Isernia take the SS 85, continue on the SS 17 in the direction of Campobasso/Benevento, take the SP 52, SP 36, SP 37DIR for Castelpetroso.
• From Campobasso take the SS 87 (state road Bifernina), near Vinchiaturo take the SS 17, turn onto the SP 52, SP 36, SP 37DIR for Castelpetroso.

On the train

• Railway station of Isernia (about 15 km away) where the lines cross:

• Termoli - Campobasso - Isernia
• Rome- Isernia - Campobasso
• Naples- Isernia- Campobasso

Connections to Castelpetroso by bus.

By bus

• The main public transport companies operating in the Molise area are the following
• Lariviera bus lines [1]
• SATI bus lines [2]
• Molise Trasporti bus lines [3]
• Autoservizi F.lli Cerella: For connections to Isernia from Rome and from Naples

How to get around

What see

• 41.54975214.309781 Sanctuary of Maria Santissima Addolorata (Sanctuary of the Addolorata, Basilica of the Addolorata). It rises to the east of the Pastena hamlet, not far from the state road 17 of the Abruzzese Apennines and Appulo Sannitica.

The exterior of the church is characterized by the facade. It is squeezed between the two bell towers and is tripartite horizontally by three sections of the same height, each of which ends with a triangular spire; in the center there is a four-light window, on the sides a three-light window. Below are the three splayed portals, decorated with mosaic lunettes depicting Jesus on the cross between Mary and John (center), the Annunciation (left) and the Coronation of Mary (right). The bronze doors depict scenes from the Old and New Testament. The two bell towers have a square plan and have two overlapping orders of mullioned windows, with the lower one being higher. Inside there is a concert consisting of ten bells from the Pontifical Foundry of Campane Marinelli in Agnone, two dating back to 1910 and the remaining to 1947.

The octagonal dome is grafted onto a high drum which has, on each side, a mullioned window ending with a triangular cusp. The dome is surmounted by a lantern, also octagonal, which reaches a height of 52 meters at its top.

The interior of the church is characterized by the particular central plan, consisting of the octagonal hall covered by the dome and surrounded by an ambulatory with a cross vault, along which there are three deep apsed chapels and two smaller ones with a square plan; the three portals do not give directly onto the ambulatory, but onto an endonarthex of a single span divided into three naves by round arches; on the opposite side, there is the main chapel, slightly larger than the other six, of which it traces the plan and with which it means the number of swords that pierce the heart of Maria Addolorata. In each of the six side chapels, there is an altar in polychrome marble surmounted by a canvas by Amedeo Trivisonno depicting one of the sorrows of Mary; by Trivisonno are also the canvases of the Resurrection of Jesus and the Assumption of Mary, placed in the endonarthex.

The main chapel, aligned with the entrance, has a raised floor with respect to the rest of the church. Inside is the ancient high altar in polychrome marble, surmounted by the so-called Throne, a richly decorated neo-Gothic marble shrine inside which is the Simulacrum of Maria Santissima Addolorata di Castelpetroso. This consists of two painted wooden statues depicting the Virgin half kneeling near the body, placed on the ground, of the dead Jesus. The current sculptural group dates back to 1963 and is the result of the reconstruction of the original, the work of Nicola Santillo, donated in 1894 by the population of Colle Sannita.

History

According to the testimony of the visionaries, the Madonna appeared for the first time on March 22, 1888 to two shepherdesses named Serafina and Bibiana in the locality of Cesa tra Santi, on the slopes of Mount Patalecchia. This first apparition was followed by others and, following the recognition of this phenomenon, Pope Paul VI proclaimed Maria Santissima Addolorata of Castelpetroso patroness of Molise on December 6, 1973.

In the nineties of the nineteenth century it was decided to build a sanctuary near the place of the apparitions, but further downstream from this, so that it could be more easily accessible by pilgrims.

On September 28, 1890, the first stone was laid and construction of the sanctuary began. It proceeded slowly due to economic problems and the two world wars: in 1907 the Polish chapel was completed and opened for worship, but the perimeter walls of the church were only completed in 1950.

On March 19, 1995, St. Joseph's Day and the third Sunday of Lent, Pope John Paul II, on the occasion of his second pastoral trip to Molise, visited the place of the apparitions and the sanctuary, and celebrated the Holy Mass and the Angelus.

In November 2004 the Franciscan friars of the Immaculate Convent, who economically and pastorally administered the activities of the sanctuary, abandoned the direction after 12 years of activity within it, the friars minor convent took over.

In January 2005 the new altar was built, positioned in the center of the hall [5].

On 21 September 2013, the 123rd anniversary of the laying of the first stone, the sanctuary was elevated to the dignity of minor basilica by Pope Francis, who visited it on July 5, 2014, meeting the young people of Abruzzo is Molise. 

• Parish church of San Martino Vescovo. It dates back to the second half of the 13th century. Inside there are several works worthy of interest, including a mosaic depicting St. Martin and paintings by the Molise master Amedeo Trivisonno. 
• Chapel of the Magdalene. The small Chapel of the Maddalena is located at 810 meters above sea level. and is characterized by walls with exposed stones. 

Events and parties

• "Sciuscelle and Ciabbotta" festival (to Indiprete). 2nd of July. 
• Feast of the Madonna del Carmine (to Rooms). 3rd Sunday of July. 
• "Taccuzzelle and beans" festival (in Pastena). 1st Sunday of August. 
• Feast of St. Nicholas of Bari. 1st Sunday of August. 
• Feast of Maria SS. Sorrowful (in Castelpetroso). last Sunday of August. 
• Feast of Maria SS. of the Libera (to Indiprete). 1st Sunday of September. 
• Feast of S. Maria della Mercede (a Failure). 2nd Sunday of August. 
• Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows (to the Sanctuary). 4th Sunday of September. 

What to do

Shopping

How to have fun

Where to eat

Average prices

• 41.55193914.3150481 Donna Carmela Restaurant, via Santuario, ☎ 39 348 6933770. 

Where stay

High prices

• 41.54987314.3168251 Source of Wellness Resort, via Santuario, ☎ 39 0865 936085, fax: 39 0865 936003. 4 star hotel with spa 

Safety

46.062480, 11.634006

• 41.54766414.3384241 Iannone, Via Glicinia, 31, ☎ 39 0865 937339. 

How to keep in touch

Post office

• 41.55989614.3464922 Italian post, Via San Rocco, 8, ☎ 39 0865 937267. 
• 41.54842314.3377353 Italian post, Via Nazionale dei Pentri, 27 (to Indiprete), ☎ 39 0865 937274. 

Around

• Isernia - Among the first documented Paleolithic settlements in Europe, it was then a flourishing Samnite city, capital of the Italic League, later a Roman Municipium. Its millennial past has left it with an important monumental heritage that extends up to the pre-Roman era, as well as very important prehistoric finds.
• Bojano - It was a powerful Samnite city, then a Roman center. In the Middle Ages it became an episcopal seat. It retains a beautiful old town full of churches, as well as the cathedral.

Itineraries

• Castles in the province of Isernia - There are numerous manors of theMolise Apennines in the countries ofUpper Molise, ofIsernino he was born in Venafrano. Some are in ruins due to war or earthquakes; others have been recovered; many have a military aspect, with little or no external architectural evolution of transformation into a stately home.

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Castelpetroso
• Commons contains images or other files on Castelpetroso

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