Abbey of the Holy Spirit at Monte Morrone, Former Celestine abbey in Badia, Sulmona, Italy

The Abbey of the Holy Spirit is a complex near Sulmona situated at the base of Monte Morrone with several stone buildings arranged around a monastic area. The church interior follows a Greek-cross layout with decorative elements and artwork from different periods.

The abbey was built from the mid-13th century at the foot of Monte Morrone by the hermit Pietro da Morrone, later Pope Celestine V; it was consecrated in 1267-68 and became the seat of the Celestine order's general abbot in 1293. Damaged by the 1456 earthquake and nearly destroyed in 1706, it was rebuilt in Baroque form by 1730. Suppressed in 1809, it served as a poorhouse and then a prison until 1993.

The abbey takes its name from the Holy Spirit and from Monte Morrone, the mountain above it where Pietro da Morrone lived as a hermit at the Eremo di Sant'Onofrio before founding the Celestine order. The Celestines made this their principal house, and the Caldora chapel holds the 1412 tomb of Restaino Caldora carved by Gualtiero d'Alemagna, with frescoes by Giovanni di Sulmona showing scenes from the Life of Christ.

The complex lies about 5 km north-east of Sulmona, at the foot of Monte Morrone, and is reached by road; the walled enclosure has a single entrance 3.30 m wide. It now houses the Soprintendenza offices, a small archaeological museum and the Maiella National Park headquarters, so check opening arrangements before setting out.

During World War II the Wehrmacht used the abbey as a prison and execution site for captured Italian resistance members. A plaque commemorates the shepherd Michele del Greco, shot on 22 December 1943 for helping Allied prisoners of war.