Pietrabbondante
Encyclopedia
Pietrabbondante is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Isernia
in the Italian
region Molise
, located about 30 km northwest of Campobasso
and about 20 km northeast of Isernia
.
Pietrabbondante borders the following municipalities: Agnone
, Castelverrino
, Chiauci
, Civitanova del Sannio
, Pescolanciano
, Poggio Sannita
.
(89 BC). Pietrabbondante became part of the Roman
colony located in Sannio and was documented by Pliny the Elder
. The Romans called the town "Bovianum Vetus", The early role of "Bovianum Vetus" is little known, it was a center of vital importance, when the Romans conquered the Samnites, and Pietrabbondante became a place of reference for checking the Alto Molise. Very notable archeological find is the temple and the theater built of polygonal limestone that is a rare example in Italy of retaining a Greek
structure built by the Romans.
of the 8th century, it came to be designated by the name Petra Habundante. The current name is relatively recent and is etymologically justified because the area is rich in limestone
rocks and debris. In 957, the city was the capital of one of thirty-four counties in which it was divided by the Duchy of Benevento
. Noble families intertwined with governing Pietrabbondante include Cantelmo, the Carafa, the Marquises, D'Andrea, and finally to D'Alessandro.
d buildings on both sides of it. Work began in the late 2nd century BC and was completed in 95 AD. The building, as articulated, was intended both for worship and for institutional activities.
. The top two buildings housed the temple and side porches. The overall size of the area is 55 x 90 meters.
The theater consists of two elements: the auditorium
and the building stage, which two stone arches link together. The auditorium could contain 2500 spectators and has good acoustics
. The seats were made of stone. Each stone seat is from a single stone block and the dorsal elegantly thrown backwards; at both ends of each row listed a sign that reserved three rows for judges, priests, and so on. On both sides of the orchestra, retaining walls of the embankment (analemma
) end with atlas
es carved in stone (like the Odeon of Pompeii, however, the material is made of soft tuff
). The entire embankment is supported by a large semicircular and polygonal blocks processed by cutting without regular contours.
temple portico
, which was destroyed by Hannibal in 217 BC. The temple, measuring22 x 35 m, lies behind the amphitheater. Today, only the base (podium
), on which rose in front, eight columns topped with Corinthian order
capitals with clad pottery decorated in the back, and three segments paved with fine mosaic
s and dedicated to different deities.
The roof was built with trusses, stringers, plates, and tiles (from Venafro
, each weighing 52 kg). Cells and columns had its foundations, so the mighty outer wall of the podium served as a simple decorative coating. Elaborate cornice
s decorated with floral motifs and rams’ heads topped the altars. The segments are usually darker than the original, like the steps of the dark sunken staircase. On the left side, an inscription in Oscan recalls Statius Claro, an important figure who built at his expense half of the podium. On the back of the temple, in the containment wall of the ground (north side), a phallic symbol is carved on a block for protection against misfortune. At the sides of the podium, two porches with remains of buildings used as shops and various services complement the overall harmony.
. The excavations were conducted in several phases: in 1857 and 1858, by the Bourbons, in 1871-72, out of interest of the Province, and in 1959 and subsequent years through the intervention of the Archaeological Superintendent of Molise.
The church stands on a hilltop in front of a bare rock outline called "Morgia of the Cross". The bell tower with three belfries feature built-in stonework on top of which stands the cross, the center bell tower features a Baroque
portal adorned with floral pattern and includes a small niche in which there is a sculpture depicting Santa Maria Assunta. Above the portal is also a large window in the Baroque style.
The perimeter wall rests on a massive support structure built with huge limestone blocks from nearby archaeological site. The interior has undergone numerous transformations over the centuries and the present reflects a Baroque style. Subsequent to 1696, the building took the shape of a Latin cross, divided into three naves bounded by large plastered square pillars, which support the all six arches.
In the right aisle, a sarcophagus
was found during the renovation work after the 1990 earthquake near the statues of St. Nicholas of Bari, St. Francis of Paola (1867) and St. Roch
the Confessor. In the transept of the right is the canvas by Angelico Zarlenga dedicated to St. Vincent Ferrer, which commemorates the destruction of housing during World War II
and the return of numerous prisoners from concentration camps. The front of the same transept, there is a baptismal font
made of marble.
. An immigrant committee formed by Alessandro Di Tullio in America raised money in July 1919 to remember the war victims. Subsequently, in February 1920 the Pietrabbondante City Council proceeded to erect the war memorial with these funds.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
(municipality) in the Province of Isernia
Province of Isernia
The Province of Isernia is a province in the Molise region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Isernia....
in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
region Molise
Molise
Molise is a region of Southern Italy, the second smallest of the regions. It was formerly part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise and now a separate entity...
, located about 30 km northwest of Campobasso
Campobasso
-Main sights:The main attraction of Campobasso is the Castello Monforte, built in 1450 by the local ruler Nicola II Monforte, over Lombard or Norman ruins. The castle has Guelph merlons and stands on a commanding point, where traces of ancient settlements have been found...
and about 20 km northeast of Isernia
Isernia
Isernia Isernia Isernia (Latin: Aesernia or, in Pliny and later writers, Eserninus, or in the Antonine Itinerary, Serni is a town and comune in the central Italian region of Molise, and the capital of Isernia province.- Geography :...
.
Pietrabbondante borders the following municipalities: Agnone
Agnone
Agnone is a city and comune in the province of Isernia, in the Molise region of southern Italy. Agnone is known for the manufacturing of bells by the Marinelli Bell Foundry. It is 22 miles northwest of Campobasso. The city of Agnone is complemented with other populated centers like Fontesambuco,...
, Castelverrino
Castelverrino
Castelverrino is a comune in the Province of Isernia in the Italian region Molise, located about 30 km northwest of Campobasso and about 25 km northeast of Isernia....
, Chiauci
Chiauci
Chiauci is a comune in the Province of Isernia in the Italian region Molise, located about 25 km northwest of Campobasso and about 15 km northeast of Isernia...
, Civitanova del Sannio
Civitanova del Sannio
Civitanova del Sannio is a comune in the Province of Isernia in the Italian region Molise, located about 25 km northwest of Campobasso and about 15 km northeast of Isernia...
, Pescolanciano
Pescolanciano
Pescolanciano is a comune in the Province of Isernia in the Italian region Molise, located about 30 km northwest of Campobasso and about 12 km northeast of Isernia...
, Poggio Sannita
Poggio Sannita
Poggio Sannita is a comune in the Province of Isernia in the Italian region Molise, located about 30 km northwest of Campobasso and about 25 km northeast of Isernia...
.
Samnites and Romans
Pietrabbondante's earliest known inhabitants were the Samnites, who arrived in Pietrabbondante in the 6th century BC. Many historians believe that it was home of the Assemblies of the Federal Government of the Samnites. The Samnite town stretched for just over six hundred meters; nevertheless, the area remains rich in archaeological material. The 1840s excavations brought to light sections of marble statues, clay tools, coins, weapons, etc. The Samnites called the place "Bovianum" but this only lasted for a few centuries, after defeats in the Samnite wars and the ultimate destruction of the place by Lucius Cornelius SullaLucius Cornelius Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix , known commonly as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He had the rare distinction of holding the office of consul twice, as well as that of dictator...
(89 BC). Pietrabbondante became part of the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
colony located in Sannio and was documented by Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
. The Romans called the town "Bovianum Vetus", The early role of "Bovianum Vetus" is little known, it was a center of vital importance, when the Romans conquered the Samnites, and Pietrabbondante became a place of reference for checking the Alto Molise. Very notable archeological find is the temple and the theater built of polygonal limestone that is a rare example in Italy of retaining a Greek
Architecture of Ancient Greece
The architecture of Ancient Greece is the architecture produced by the Greek-speaking people whose culture flourished on the Greek mainland and Peloponnesus, the Aegean Islands, and in colonies in Asia Minor and Italy for a period from about 900 BC until the 1st century AD, with the earliest...
structure built by the Romans.
Lombard
After the LombardsLombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
of the 8th century, it came to be designated by the name Petra Habundante. The current name is relatively recent and is etymologically justified because the area is rich in limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
rocks and debris. In 957, the city was the capital of one of thirty-four counties in which it was divided by the Duchy of Benevento
Duchy of Benevento
The Duchy and later Principality of Benevento was the southernmost Lombard duchy in medieval Italy, centred on Benevento, a city central in the Mezzogiorno. Owing to the Ducatus Romanus of the popes, which cut it off from the rest of Lombard Italy, Benevento was from the first practically...
. Noble families intertwined with governing Pietrabbondante include Cantelmo, the Carafa, the Marquises, D'Andrea, and finally to D'Alessandro.
Present
Currently the town of Pietrabbondante is a tourist site, situated in a foot of towering rocks called "Morg" Caraceni at the foot of a mountain on whose slopes have been found many megalithic remains. The town is also rich in flora as there in places bordering large expanses of conifers and hardwoods.Ancient Temple and Theatre
On the slope of Monte Saraceno, the Samnites built a complex of worship consisting of a theater, a temple and with two arcadeArcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
d buildings on both sides of it. Work began in the late 2nd century BC and was completed in 95 AD. The building, as articulated, was intended both for worship and for institutional activities.
Theatre
The theater-temple complex is located on the outskirts of Pietrabbondante about 966 meters above sea level, next to another small temple with arcaded shops from a previous era (200 BC). To build it, the Samnites got two terraces along the side of the mountain, but at different levels on a single axisReflection symmetry
Reflection symmetry, reflectional symmetry, line symmetry, mirror symmetry, mirror-image symmetry, or bilateral symmetry is symmetry with respect to reflection. That is, a figure which does not change upon undergoing a reflection has reflectional symmetry.In 2D there is a line of symmetry, in 3D a...
. The top two buildings housed the temple and side porches. The overall size of the area is 55 x 90 meters.
The theater consists of two elements: the auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
and the building stage, which two stone arches link together. The auditorium could contain 2500 spectators and has good acoustics
Acoustics
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...
. The seats were made of stone. Each stone seat is from a single stone block and the dorsal elegantly thrown backwards; at both ends of each row listed a sign that reserved three rows for judges, priests, and so on. On both sides of the orchestra, retaining walls of the embankment (analemma
Analemma
In astronomy, an analemma is a curve representing the angular offset of a celestial body from its mean position on the celestial sphere as viewed from another celestial body relative to the viewing body's celestial equator...
) end with atlas
Atlas (architecture)
In the classical European architectural tradition an atlas is a support sculpted in the form of a man, which may take the place of a column, a pier or a pilaster...
es carved in stone (like the Odeon of Pompeii, however, the material is made of soft tuff
Tuff
Tuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
). The entire embankment is supported by a large semicircular and polygonal blocks processed by cutting without regular contours.
Temple
The theater sits on the site where in the 3rd century BC was an ancient IonicIonic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
temple portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
, which was destroyed by Hannibal in 217 BC. The temple, measuring22 x 35 m, lies behind the amphitheater. Today, only the base (podium
Podium
A podium is a platform that is used to raise something to a short distance above its surroundings. It derives from the Greek πόδι In architecture a building can rest on a large podium. Podia can also be used to raise people, for instance the conductor of an orchestra stands on a podium as do many...
), on which rose in front, eight columns topped with Corinthian order
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
capitals with clad pottery decorated in the back, and three segments paved with fine mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
s and dedicated to different deities.
The roof was built with trusses, stringers, plates, and tiles (from Venafro
Venafro
Venafro is a comune in the province of Isernia, region of Molise, Italy. It has a population of around 12,000, having expanded quickly in the post-war period.-Geography:...
, each weighing 52 kg). Cells and columns had its foundations, so the mighty outer wall of the podium served as a simple decorative coating. Elaborate cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
s decorated with floral motifs and rams’ heads topped the altars. The segments are usually darker than the original, like the steps of the dark sunken staircase. On the left side, an inscription in Oscan recalls Statius Claro, an important figure who built at his expense half of the podium. On the back of the temple, in the containment wall of the ground (north side), a phallic symbol is carved on a block for protection against misfortune. At the sides of the podium, two porches with remains of buildings used as shops and various services complement the overall harmony.
Discovery
The monument in the 2nd century AD was abandoned and completely buried by alluviumAlluvium
Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediments, eroded, deposited, and reshaped by water in some form in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel...
. The excavations were conducted in several phases: in 1857 and 1858, by the Bourbons, in 1871-72, out of interest of the Province, and in 1959 and subsequent years through the intervention of the Archaeological Superintendent of Molise.
Church of Santa Maria Assunta
The church of Pietrabbondante is dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta. During the feast of the saint, which falls on 15 August, a procession by women only carry on their shoulders the saints effigy.The church stands on a hilltop in front of a bare rock outline called "Morgia of the Cross". The bell tower with three belfries feature built-in stonework on top of which stands the cross, the center bell tower features a Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
portal adorned with floral pattern and includes a small niche in which there is a sculpture depicting Santa Maria Assunta. Above the portal is also a large window in the Baroque style.
The perimeter wall rests on a massive support structure built with huge limestone blocks from nearby archaeological site. The interior has undergone numerous transformations over the centuries and the present reflects a Baroque style. Subsequent to 1696, the building took the shape of a Latin cross, divided into three naves bounded by large plastered square pillars, which support the all six arches.
In the right aisle, a sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
was found during the renovation work after the 1990 earthquake near the statues of St. Nicholas of Bari, St. Francis of Paola (1867) and St. Roch
St. Roch
St. Roch is a Royal Canadian Mounted Police schooner, the first ship to completely circumnavigate North America, and the second sailing vessel to complete a voyage through the Northwest Passage...
the Confessor. In the transept of the right is the canvas by Angelico Zarlenga dedicated to St. Vincent Ferrer, which commemorates the destruction of housing during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the return of numerous prisoners from concentration camps. The front of the same transept, there is a baptismal font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
made of marble.
War Memorial
A statue depicting the ancient Samnite soldier as he had represents the sacrifice of the fallen Pietrabbondantesi in World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. An immigrant committee formed by Alessandro Di Tullio in America raised money in July 1919 to remember the war victims. Subsequently, in February 1920 the Pietrabbondante City Council proceeded to erect the war memorial with these funds.