Church of Santa Maria dei Centurelli

In the 16th century, the church of S. Maria dei Centurelli was built along the transhumance sheep-tracks, at a strategic point where the route forked. The church took the place of a smaller chapel of the “Brothers of the Belt” and was completed in 1561, probably following a miracle that occurred on the site.

The building, linked to pastoral life and transhumance, lost importance with the decline of pastoralism and was gradually abandoned between the 19th and 20th centuries, until it was finally banned from worship in 1935. The horizontally crowned façade shows a timidly Renaissance style with vertical soaring and references to L'Aquila's buildings, while the Latin cross plan houses a central nave with two side chapels and a large triumphal arch framing the Baroque altar.

The portal, built in 1558, is decorated with fluted pilasters, round columns and a lunette, while three single-lancet windows illuminate the interior. In the 20th century, the church was restored and consolidated to stop its deterioration, thus preserving its grandeur and harmony with the surrounding landscape.