Itinerary of Franciscan Shrines


1. FRANCISCAN SHRINE OF S.MARIA DELLA FORESTA

Tel. 0746 200085
Guided tour.
Entrance free.
Winter opening times 8:30 - 12:00
14:30 - 18:00
Summer opening t.
8:30 - 12:00
15:00 - 19:00

How to get there: from Rieti take the road for Cantalice and Poggio Bustone, turn right at the ENEL power station. From Vazia go towards Rieti, turning right after 500 metres.

The Shrine is surrounded by forests of oak and chestnut. The oldest of the churches seems as though it was probably dedicated to S. Fabiano, though this is disputed.
According to legend, St Francis passed here in 1225, asking for shelter from the priest of the church and performing the miracle of the grapes, making bunches of grapes appear on a vine stripped of fruit by the people who had flocked there to see the saint.

The little church, with single nave and apse, still shows traces of some early fourteenth century frescoes, and the T symbol which for Francis represented the crucifixion, recurs on the windows. The cloister opens onto an area where you can still see the vat used for crushing the grapes which appeared so miraculously. It was at this very place, according to many scholars, that Francis wrote, at least in part, St. Francis' Hymn, one of the most beautiful poetic expressions of all time.

2. FRANCISCAN SHRINE OF POGGIO BUSTONE







Tel.0746/688916 Opening times
9.00-12.00
15.00-18.00

Entrance free



How to get there: from Rieti follow the Ternana road up to the turning for Ponte Crispolti, or else from the area of Quattro Strade take the road for Cantalice, turning left after 10 km to reach the village of
POGGIO BUSTONE (altitude 756 metres - population 2159)
Tel. Village 0746 688913 Pro loco 0746 688718

There are two Franciscan shrines, the upper and the lower. The Lower Shrine lies at an altitude of 800 metres and includes the monastery founded between 1235 and 1237 and rebuilt several times since.
The Monastery Church is built in gothic style and you can still see the remains of some ancient frescoes. The cloister with it's cistern is very evocative.

From the monastery you can make the spectacular climb to the upper Shrine, or Sacro Speco at an altitude of around 1000 metres.

From Poggio Bustone return to Rieti and take the Tancia road which, after a few kilometres, brings you to the Shrine of Fonte Colombo.



3. FRANCISCAN SHRINE OF FONTE COLOMBO

Tel 0746 210125 Entrance free.
Winter opening t
8:00-12:00
15:00-19:00 - Summer opening t.
8:30-12:00
15:00-19:00




How to get there: take the Rieti -Contigliano road towards Contigliano and turn left soon after "Macelletto".

Known as the Franciscan Sinai because it was here that, according to tradition, the Saint had the vision of Christ which confirmed the foundation of the Franciscan Order. The impervious and heavily forested mountain site was one which attracted St.Francis who had a particular liking for bare rock, symbol of poverty. T
The church and monastery face a tree-filled courtyard with a large wooden cross.
Down a ramp which flanks the walls of the Monastery you reach the little Church of S.Maria, also called "of the Magdalen". Below is the thick forest of oaks and holm oaks where, it is said, St. Francis asked the birds to be quiet in order not to interrupt his meditation.

4. FRANCISCAN SHRINE OF GRECCIO


Tel 0746 750127
Tourist information office:
Tel 0746 750640
Winter opening times
9:45-12:30
15:45-18:30
Summer opening times 9:45-12:30
16:15-19:00
Entrance free.


How to get there: from Fonte Colombo take the Tancia road and follow the signposts to Contigliano, continuing towards the village of
GRECCIO (altitude 705 metres population 1504)
Tel. Village 0746 750591 Pro loco 0746 753153

The castrum is first documented in 1091. The Church of S.Michele Arcangelo is flanked by a medieval tower once part of the castle and now used as a bell tower.
Itinerary
It doesn't take long to visit the medieval village with it's narrow streets and alleyways which occasionally open out to reveal hidden vistas of the valley below. From here you can see, about 2 km away, a tangible sign of the work of St. Francis, the Franciscan Monastery built on a rocky outcrop amongst dense forest.

According to legend St Francis arrived on the nearby Mount Lacerone which dominates the village, in 1217, finding shelter between two hornbeam trees where, in 1792, a commemorative chapel was built.
Francis regularly went down the mountain to Greccio, principally to help the inhabitants of Greccio back on to the path of righteousness and Christian values from which they had strayed. His efforts succeeded so well and the inhabitants of Greccio became so fond of him that eventually they begged him to stay, and the Saint decided to make his home wherever a firebrand hurled by a young boy should come to rest. In a miraculously long parabola the firebrand flew all the way across the valley to the cliff opposite on which Francis built his retreat and where the monastery was later founded.