Ruins of the Church of Santa Maria ad Nives

Just outside the village of Anversa degli Abruzzi, along Via Vittorio Emanuele II, immersed in the picturesque landscape of the Sagittario Valley, lie the remains of the Church of Santa Maria ad Nives. Not to be confused with the Church of Santa Maria della Neve in Castrovalva, this ancient place of worship stands at the entrance of the Sagittario Gorges Park, in the direction of Cocullo. Observing the ruins of the church, one can imagine its ancient splendor. Its origins date back at least to the 9th century, when it was linked to the Benedictine monks from the Abbey of San Vincenzo al Volturno. At the time, it was known as Santa Maria de Flaturno and belonged to the church of Santa Maria Appinianico. In the 16th century, the management passed to the Dominican friars by the will of the Belprato family, then feudal lords of Anversa. Approaching the structure, one can still distinguish the traces of a simple yet fascinating architecture. The gabled facade, in Romanesque style, features a portal with a lunette, while the interior, now without a roof, retains two columns with Corinthian capitals near the entrance. Next to the church, there once stood a monastery, now reduced to a small stone building, the last witness of that monastic complex. Reading between the time-worn stones, one discovers that the church underwent a slow decline: in 1652, Pope Innocent X suppressed the convent, which came under the direct control of the feudal family. From then on, the place lost importance and was gradually abandoned. Imagining its history, one can almost see the monastery transforming over the centuries: from barn to lazaret during epidemics, eventually becoming a refuge during World War II. Today, among its ruins enveloped by nature, the Church of Santa Maria ad Nives tells a story of devotion and change, a place that continues to evoke the charm of a distant past.