The Abbey of San Clemente a Casauria was founded in 871 AD by Emperor Louis II, near the city of Pescara in Abruzzo. The church was dedicated to and housed the remains of Saint Clement, one of the first popes after Saint Peter and first Apostolic Father of the Roman Catholic Church. (...)
The Abbey of San Clemente a Casauria was founded in 871 AD by Emperor Louis II, near the city of Pescara in Abruzzo. The church was dedicated to and housed the remains of Saint Clement, one of the first popes after Saint Peter and first Apostolic Father of the Roman Catholic Church. The abbey was pillaged many times, leading to its reconstruction in the 12th century, under Abbot Leonate, in the Romanesque style. The abbey is well known for its medieval sculptural carvings depicting the building’s history and the story of Saint Clement. The central doorway is extensively engraved with these figural portrayals on both the lintel and the tympanum. The body in the middle of the tympanum is Saint Clement with Saints Fabio and Cornelius to the right and Abbot Leonate to the left holding a rebuilt model of the abbey Other elements that characterize the artistic uniqueness of the abbey are the ornate bronze doors from 1191 (featuring depictions of castles and abbots as well as geometric patterns), the high altar, a paleo-Christian sarcophagus, the Paschal candelabrum, and an ambon (a small pulpit located before the choir in Byzantine medieval churches). The overall layout of the monument is in the shape of a Latin cross divided into three naves with a semicircular apse. The exterior is articulated by a portico with columns that form three arches in front of the façade.
