Hermitage of San Giovanni all'Orfento

The hermitage consists of rooms carved into a cliff face above the Orfento Valley, featuring stone walls and multiple chambers within the Majella National Park.

From 1284 to 1293, Pietro da Morrone, who later became Pope Celestine V, lived in this hermitage seeking isolation from his growing number of followers.

The structure includes a rectangular chamber with three wall niches, a barrel-vaulted room containing an altar, and spaces that served as monks' living quarters.

Visitors must obtain authorization from the Caramanico Terme Visitor Center and follow a marked trail that includes climbing steep stairs cut into the rock.

The hermitage contains an advanced water collection system that channels rainfall through rock-carved conduits into a 700-liter storage tank.

Location: Caramanico Terme

GPS coordinates: 42.15390,14.08070

Latest update: March 10, 2025 00:59