Celestinian hermitages of the Majella: a guide to the 5 most important

There are few places in the world where spiritual history and landscape blur into one and the same thing. The Majella is one of them. In its torrent-carved valleys, its natural caves, its sheer limestone walls, dozens of medieval hermits sought — and found — silence. The most famous of all was Pietro Angelerio, known as Pietro da Morrone: born in Molise between 1209 and 1215, ordained a priest, living as a hermit for over fifty years on these very mountains, elected Pope on July 5, 1294 under the name Celestine V, and — in a gesture unique in the history of the Church until 2013 — resigned after just 105 days of pontificate. He returned to the Majella to be what he had always been: a poor monk.

The Celestinian hermitages are what remains of his passage, and of those who followed him. They are set into rocky walls, carved out of caves, built against nearly inaccessible overhangs: small stone buildings where human presence has learned to take its rightful place, without imposing itself on the landscape. In this guide we tell you about the main hermitages of the Majella linked to Pietro da Morrone, how to visit them, what they mean in Italian spiritual history, and why they still draw pilgrims, mountaineers, and seekers of silence today.

Pietro da Morrone: a brief biography

Pietro Angelerio was born between 1209 and 1215 (the exact date is uncertain) in the county of Molise, according to some sources in Isernia, according to others in Sant'Angelo Limosano. His autobiography describes him as the second-to-last of twelve children in a poor peasant family. His father Angelerio died early; his mother Maria, though illiterate, set her son on a path of ecclesiastical study, sensing his spiritual inclination. He entered the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria di Faifoli in Molise, and at around twenty — "or a little older" — he decided to leave conventional monastic life for the hermitic life, which he considered more radical and ascetic.

The journey to the Majella

Pietro set out for Rome to be ordained a priest, but a snowfall stopped him near Castel di Sangro. He took shelter in a cave on Monte Porrara (the southernmost peak of the Majella) and spent three years there in ascetic life. He resumed his journey, reached Rome, and was ordained a priest around 1233–34. On his return, after a brief stay at the Benedictine monastery of San Giovanni in Venere (San Vito Chietino), he settled on Monte Morrone, the imposing massif that rises to the west of Sulmona.

Here his reputation for holiness attracted pilgrims, devotees, and donors. Pietro, always seeking solitude, fled ever higher and further: between 1240 and 1245 he left the Morrone for the mountains of the Majella, even harsher and less accessible. In 1246 he founded, together with other hermits, the Hermitage of Santo Spirito a Majella, on the north-western slope of the mountain: this was the original nucleus of what would become the Congregation of the Celestines, a Benedictine offshoot recognized by Pope Urban IV in 1263.

Hermit-organizer

Pietro was not only an ascetic: he was also a skilled organizer. His Congregation expanded steadily. In 1259 he obtained permission to build the church of Santa Maria del Morrone. In 1268 Pope Clement IV granted an indulgence. In 1274–75 Pietro traveled in person to Lyon, attended the Council, and obtained from Gregory X a solemn bull incorporating his Congregation into the Benedictine Order and confirming its properties.

Under Pietro's leadership, the Congregation possessed dozens of churches, hermitages, and properties spanning the Majella, the Morrone, the Conca Peligna, the Sangro and Aterno valleys, all the way to Isernia, Anagni, Ferentino, Sora, and Avezzano. Pietro also promoted the construction of the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio in L'Aquila, consecrated on August 25, 1288.

The papal election and the "great refusal"

At the death of Pope Nicholas IV (April 1292), the conclave stalled for 27 months between the Orsini and Colonna factions. Pietro, from his isolation on the Morrone, wrote to Cardinal Dean Latino Malabranca predicting "grave punishments" if the Church did not choose its shepherd without delay. The cardinal read the letter in the conclave, and after intense debate, on July 5, 1294 in Perugia, the College of Cardinals unanimously elected the hermit monk.

The papal delegation reached him at the Hermitage of Sant'Onofrio al Morrone, near Sulmona. Pietro, then in his eighties, was "astounded and hesitant at such great news." He refused at first, then accepted. On August 29, 1294, escorted by King Charles II of Anjou, he traveled to L'Aquila — not to Rome, against all tradition — and in the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio, which he himself had commissioned, was crowned Pope with the name Celestine V. That same day he issued the Bolla della Perdonanza, granting plenary indulgence to anyone who visited Collemaggio between vespers of August 28 and vespers of August 29 each year: it is one of the earliest plenary indulgences in the history of the Church, and is still celebrated today (since 2019 it is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage).

The pontificate was brief, difficult, and manipulated by curial factions. Pietro had no political experience, did not speak Latin fluently, and suffered in the curial environment of Naples (Castel Nuovo) where he was confined. On December 13, 1294 he formally abdicated, reading before the cardinals a prepared act (perhaps aided by Cardinal Benedetto Caetani, an expert in canon law): "I, Pope Celestine V, moved by legitimate reasons... freely and spontaneously renounce the Pontificate." He was one of the rarest popes in history to have resigned (the sixth in total, and the only one until the resignation of Benedict XVI in 2013).

The final journey

Eleven days later, on December 24, 1294, Cardinal Benedetto Caetani was elected pope with the name Boniface VIII. Pietro wished to return to hermitic life, but the new pope — for political reasons — ordered him to remain with the Curia. Pietro fled, took refuge again at Sant'Onofrio del Morrone, then attempted to sail from Puglia to Greece. He was shipwrecked on the beach of Vieste, captured by papal emissaries, and taken to Castello di Fumone, a papal fortress in southern Lazio.

There, in a narrow cell, he died on May 19, 1296. He was canonized in 1313 by Pope Clement V, under pressure from King Charles II of Anjou and the French (a political act as much as a spiritual one). His body, after various vicissitudes, rests today in the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio in L'Aquila, in the mausoleum made by Girolamo da Vicenza.

"He who out of cowardice made the great refusal"

The judgment of Dante Alighieri, a contemporary of the events, was severe. In the Inferno (Canto III, lines 59–60), among the slothful in the vestibule, Dante recognizes "him / who out of cowardice made the great refusal": according to the traditional and majority interpretation, this is Celestine V himself. Dante accused him of having abandoned the responsibility of the pontificate out of weakness, paving the way for the pontificate of Boniface VIII — whom Dante considered a personal enemy and a political disaster.

The interpretation of Francesco Petrarch, a few decades later, was the opposite. In the De Vita solitaria, Petrarch described Celestine's renunciation as a heroic act of spiritual integrity: a person of deep inner life could not tolerate the compromises of temporal power, and made the most difficult choice. In the twentieth century, Ignazio Silone dedicated to Celestine the novel The Story of a Humble Christian (1968), making him a symbol of individual conscience against the machinery of power. The judgment on the figure of Pietro/Celestine has remained historically divided: martyr or coward, saint or weakling.

The hermitages of the Majella: a spiritual map

The Majella contains around 100 hermitages traceable to various centuries and different monastic traditions (Benedictine, Cistercian, Franciscan, Celestinian). Those linked to Pietro da Morrone and the Celestinian Congregation are the most famous and best preserved. Below are the five principal ones, with all the practical details you need to visit them.

Hermitage of San Bartolomeo in Legio (Roccamorice)

The most photographed, the most distinctive, the most impossible to forget.

The Hermitage of San Bartolomeo in Legio sits at around 700 meters above sea level, in the territory of Roccamorice (province of Pescara), set into a sheer rock face above a valley. It is a tiny building — a church and a hermit's cell — pressed against the rock as if it were part of it. The front wall, in limestone, almost merges with the natural cliff face.

The history

The hermitage has existed since the 11th century, founded by Benedictine monks probably from Montecassino. Pietro da Morrone restored it in 1250, living there between 1274 and 1276 and during later periods. The current structures are partly medieval, partly reworked over the centuries.

How to visit

From Roccamorice (445 m), follow the signs for the hermitage. The paved road ends at a small parking area, from which a footpath of about 15–20 minutes sets off, with some downhill stretches into the valley. Low difficulty, suitable for families with children over 6–7 years old (though watch out for the final stretch of path, which is fairly exposed). Hiking shoes are essential.

To enter the chapel, you pass through a holy stairway carved into the rock. The interior is essential: a small nave, an altar, remnants of frescoes on the portal (unfortunately badly damaged), and a niche with the statue of San Bartolomeo — depicted with the knife that symbolizes his martyrdom by flaying.

The Feast of San Bartolomeo (August 25)

Once a year the hermitage becomes the center of an ancient rite. On the morning of August 25, at dawn, pilgrims take part in a Mass celebrated inside the hermitage. From here, in procession, the statue of the saint is carried along the Capo la Vena stream, where pilgrims bathe in the waters according to a purifying tradition. The rite concludes in the church of Roccamorice, where the statue remains until September 9. It is one of the most evocative religious and anthropological experiences in Abruzzo, alive for centuries.

Hermitage of Santo Spirito a Majella (Roccamorice)

The largest and architecturally most complex of the Celestinian hermitages. The headquarters of the congregation founded by Pietro.

The Hermitage of Santo Spirito a Majella lies in the Vallone di Santo Spirito, also in the territory of Roccamorice, at around 1,130 meters above sea level. It is an articulated complex of buildings set against a rock face, with a church, sacristy, residential quarters, a holy stairway, and the original hermitage carved into the rock itself.

The history

Earlier than the 11th century, the hermitage is first mentioned in historical sources dating to 1055, where the monk Desiderius appears (future abbot of Montecassino and later Pope Victor III). When Pietro da Morrone arrived in 1246, he found it in a poor state and restored it. From that moment it became the mother house of the Celestinian Congregation, expanding over the following decades.

The current church was rebuilt at the end of the sixteenth century by Pietro Santucci da Manfredonia: it features a single nave divided into four bays with side altars, a barrel vault over the first two, a dome over the third, and a ribbed cross vault in the last (a remnant of the late-thirteenth-century layout). Beneath the church lies the oldest nucleus, where according to tradition Pietro used to pray before the Crucifix.

How to visit

From Roccamorice, you can drive to a parking area. From there, a footpath of about 30–40 minutes descends into the valley. Moderate difficulty, with significant elevation change. The hermitage can also be reached from the meadows of Majelletta with an hour's walk downhill.

The interior is free to visit. You will often find the hermitage looked after by volunteer caretakers or small religious groups. Masses and celebrations are frequent on Sundays and during the summer months. The feeling you get when you step inside, after the silent walk down into the valley, is that of a place unchanged in eight centuries.

Hermitage of Sant'Onofrio al Morrone (Sulmona)

The hermitage where Pietro received the news of his papal election. Technically not on the Majella but on the Morrone, the adjacent massif that is part of the same National Park.

The Hermitage of Sant'Onofrio lies a short distance from Sulmona (western side of the Park), set into a sheer rock face above the Abbey of Santa Maria del Morrone (today the Badia Morronese). You can reach it from the center of Sulmona in about 15 minutes by car, then a 15–20-minute footpath from the Badia.

The history

Pietro settled here in 1293, having stepped back from active leadership of the Congregation. Tired and elderly, he was seeking a more radical solitude. He was here — observing the penitential fast in honor of the Virgin of the Assumption and of Saint Peter — when, between late July and early August 1294, he was reached by the conclave's messengers announcing his election as Pope.

Tradition holds that as Pietro hesitated, the Crucifix before which he was praying nodded its head. Only then did Pietro speak the words: "I give my assent to the wishes of the Sacred College and accept the Supreme Pontificate." It was in this cell that Pietro's life changed forever.

Sant'Onofrio was also the place Pietro returned to after his abdication: he remained hidden there until February 1295, before attempting to flee to Puglia.

How to visit

The hermitage is accessible via a stairway carved into the rock. From the Badia Morronese you follow a scenic uphill path, well signposted. Low-to-moderate difficulty, 20 minutes of walking. Pietro's cell is open to visit, with original frescoed walls (periodically under restoration) and the traditional altar. Below the hermitage opens a cave with dripping water, considered by the faithful to have miraculous healing properties.

The hermitage is managed by monks and free to visit. Opening times vary; it is advisable to check with the Badia Morronese (Sulmona).

Hermitage of San Giovanni all'Orfento (Caramanico Terme)

The most isolated, the most challenging, the most demanding. Not suitable for general tourists.

The Hermitage of San Giovanni all'Orfento lies in the territory of Caramanico Terme, in the wild Valle dell'Orfento, reachable only via a particularly demanding trail. Pietro frequented it between 1284 and 1293, before moving to Sant'Onofrio.

The structure

The hermitage is carved into a nearly inaccessible rock face. To reach it, after the main trail, you must climb a stairway of about 20 steps, 8 meters long, cut into the rock, followed by a path carved into the rock face so narrow that in places it forces you to crawl on all fours. The interior consists of two small rooms with numerous niches and a small altar.

How to visit

Access requires prior authorization from the Caramanico Terme Forest Station Command. It is not recommended for those who suffer from vertigo, claustrophobia, or have physical limitations. Experienced hikers only, ideally accompanied by a guide. From Caramanico, start at the Park Visitor Center and follow the Valle dell'Orfento trail (see the dedicated satellite page).

For pilgrims and scholars who can access it, the experience is unique: perhaps the most extreme example of medieval Italian eremitism still open to visitors.

Hermitage of the Madonna dell'Altare (Palena)

On the Chieti side of the Park, in the territory of Palena, you'll find the Hermitage of the Madonna dell'Altare, at around 1,300 meters above sea level in a spectacular panoramic position. Also linked to the Celestinian tradition, it was frequented by monks of the Congregation across different eras.

You reach it from Palena via a well-marked trail, 1–2 hours of walking with significant elevation gain. Moderate difficulty, suitable for hikers in good physical shape. The hermitage, restored, is open to visit and still hosts occasional celebrations. The view from the hermitage area takes in much of the southern Majella.

Other hermitages of the Majella

Beyond the five principal hermitages described above, the Majella preserves dozens of smaller hermitages, some of which are reachable only on foot via demanding trails:

• Eremo di Santo Spirito al Morrone (Sulmona) — a monastic complex linked to Pietro, a short distance from Sant'Onofrio.

• Eremo di San Onofrio all'Orfento (Caramanico) — the same name but different from the more famous one on the Morrone.

• Eremo di San Martino in Valle — of early medieval origin.

• Eremo della Stella (Palombaro) — a small structure on the Chieti slope.

• Eremo di San Michele a Pescocostanzo.

• Eremo di San Germano di Pacentro.

The official website of the Parco Nazionale della Majella keeps an updated list.

The Order of the Celestines

The Congregation founded by Pietro at Santo Spirito, recognized by Urban IV in 1263 as a Benedictine branch, took the name Order of the Celestines only after Pietro's papal election in 1294. It is a contemplative monastic order living according to the Rule of Saint Benedict but with an accent of particular austerity and poverty.

The Order expanded steadily through the 14th and 15th centuries, counting dozens of monasteries across Italy. It had periods of splendor (15th–16th century) and moments of crisis (Counter-Reformation, monastic reforms of the 16th–17th century). The Napoleonic and post-Unification suppressions of the 19th century decimated the Order, which today no longer exists as an active religious institution: the Congregation was definitively suppressed in 1810. Many monastic buildings passed to civil, museum, or other congregation use.

What remains is the architectural and spiritual heritage — the hermitages of the Majella are its heart — and the memory of a mystical season unique in Italian history.

The Perdonanza Celestiniana (August 29 – L'Aquila)

Although it does not take place in the hermitages of the Majella but in the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio in L'Aquila, the Perdonanza Celestiniana is the spiritual event most closely linked to Pietro da Morrone. It is the annual celebration of the plenary indulgence issued by Celestine V on the day of his coronation in 1294.

Every year, on August 28, the cardinal or archbishop opens the Holy Door of the Basilica with a hammer. For 24 hours (until vespers of August 29), anyone who crosses the Door after going to confession and receiving communion obtains full remission of sins. The Perdonanza is considered the oldest plenary indulgence in Christendom (it predates by a few years the Jubilee of Boniface VIII in 1300).

Since 2019, the Perdonanza Celestiniana has been a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. All of L'Aquila transforms during those days with a medieval historical procession, cultural events, concerts, and processions. It is one of the most significant religious and cultural experiences in Italy.

Frequently asked questions

How many hermitages can you visit in a day?

Realistically 1–2 hermitages per day if you want to truly appreciate them. San Bartolomeo + Santo Spirito a Majella combine well when departing from Roccamorice (half a day). Sant'Onofrio can be visited from Sulmona in half a day. San Giovanni all'Orfento requires the whole day given the physical demands and the need for authorization.

Which hermitage is the "easiest" for non-hikers?

San Bartolomeo in Legio: the trail from Roccamorice is short (15–20 minutes) and moderately demanding. It is also the most scenic — almost spectacular photographically. The first choice if you only have time for one hermitage.

Can you sleep in the hermitages?

No, the hermitages are not guesthouses or hostels. They are places of visit and worship. For spiritually themed stays, some monastic guest houses in Abruzzo offer retreats (e.g., at the Badia Morronese in Sulmona). Caramanico Terme, Roccamorice, and Sulmona all have plenty of B&Bs and agriturismi.

What is the best time of year to visit?

April to October: mild temperatures, accessible trails, lush vegetation. Avoid July–August in the middle of the day (intense heat, especially at lower elevations). The most atmospheric months are April–May (wildflowers) and September–October (fall foliage and autumn colors). In winter some trails are inaccessible due to snow.

How much does it cost to visit?

All the hermitages are free to visit. Costs: only possible parking fees (€1–2), guided tours if booked (€15–30 per person), and voluntary donations for conservation.

Are they suitable for children?

San Bartolomeo in Legio yes, for children over 6–7, with hiking shoes. Sant'Onofrio al Morrone likewise. Santo Spirito a Majella requires a little more walking. San Giovanni all'Orfento no, too demanding. Madonna dell'Altare only if the children are experienced hikers.

Do you need a guide?

Not required, but a licensed hiking and environmental guide considerably enriches the experience, especially for the historical and botanical aspects. Typical cost: €20–40 per person for a half-day. Available in Caramanico, Roccamorice, Sulmona, and Palena.

Is there a difference between "Morrone" and "Majella"?

Yes, geographically. The Morrone is a limestone massif to the west of the Majella, separated from it by the valley of the Orta river. Both are within the Parco Nazionale della Majella, but the Morrone is the part closest to Sulmona, while the Majella proper (with Monte Amaro) lies further east. Pietro da Morrone lived on both at different times: first on the Morrone (the 1240s), then he fled to the Majella, more inaccessible, to escape pilgrims.

Was Pietro Italian or Molisan?

In modern terms, he was Molisan by birth (Isernia or Sant'Angelo Limosano), but he spent over 60 years on the mountains of Abruzzo (Porrara, Morrone, Majella). He is a cultural and spiritual figure shared by both Molise and Abruzzo. His tomb and his symbolic basilica are, however, in L'Aquila.

Does the Order of the Celestines still exist?

No, it was definitively suppressed in 1810. It survives as a historical, cultural, and monastic heritage. Some buildings (the Basilica di Collemaggio, the Badia Morronese) are still active as places of worship under other religious jurisdictions. The Celestinian memory is kept alive by local associations, the UNESCO Perdonanza, and visits to the hermitages.

Discover the Celestinian hermitages with Stravagando

Visiting the hermitages of the Majella is not just religious tourism. It is an experience of silence, landscape, history, and contemplation that requires time, preparation, and a willingness to let yourself be guided by those who truly know these places. The valleys that shelter them are among the wildest in Italy, the trails not always obvious, and the historical and spiritual contexts so richly layered that without interpretation they remain mute.

Stravagando is the Italian marketplace for experiences exactly like these: guided treks, sunset hikes, snowshoeing, photo workshops, themed tours, stays in old villages, led by carefully selected local hosts. We're putting together our Abruzzo catalogue right now— included — and in the coming months you'll be able to book directly here.

In the meantime, if you are hosts, environmental guides, or local tour operators and want to join our circle, write to us: we're looking for you.

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To explore further: the article on the Parco Nazionale della Majella and the UNESCO Geopark; the guide to Abruzzo's food and gastronomic products; Valle dell'Orfento and Caramanico Terme, the borghi of the Park (Pacentro, Pescocostanzo, Palena), and Monte Amaro.

Happy travels.