Abbey of San Cassiano (Narni)

On the hills near the city of Narni, in Umbria, stands the splendid religious complex of the Abbey of San Cassiano. Formed by a village that encloses the church and the monastery, the Abbey of San Cassiano dates back to the middle of the tenth century. The fortified Abbey is located on the steep slopes of Monte Santa Croce, not far from the mouth of the Nera river gorge, in a position overlooking the ancient route of the Via Flaminia. The Benedictine Abbey of San Cassiano dates back to the tenth century, at the time of the Narnese Pope John XIII (965-972) and Saint Orso, abbot. The Abbey was built on a fortified monastery dating back to the Gothic wars (6th century); it was probably commissioned by a Byzantine general, Belisarius, in analogy with the one dedicated to Saint Juvenal, built in Orte at the time of Virgil the Rape (558-555). The two fortified monasteries had to watch over the Nera gorge, which was the last defence of the Byzantine corridor ensuring territorial continuity between Rome and Ravenna. The original plant was tampered with in the fourteenth century to give way to a construction articulated internally in three naves marked by elegant pillars with Romanesque capitals. The interior of the church gives the sensation of being in a space where the clock has stopped ticking. Another interesting peculiarity is the presence of the horseshoe arch, a characteristic element of oriental architecture. The complex of small houses and buildings that once served the community of monks is dominated by an elegant bell tower. An authentic jewel that dominates the ancient route of the Via Flaminia.