Santa Maria delle Grotte Rocchetta a Volturno

The church of Santa Maria alle Grotte is a true jewel of Benedictine rock architecture, the only remaining building of a larger monastic complex.
The sanctuary stands a few kilometres from the town of Rocchetta, in an isolated position among the rocks and lush vegetation, a place of passage for pilgrims (the effigy of St Christopher, protector of wayfarers, bears witness to this) who travelled along the ancient route linking the Benedictine abbeys of San Vincenzo and Montecassino.
Built on natural caves that characterise the area, they determine the very name of the church. Definitely linked to the archaic rites of Mother Earth and the idea of Mary's womb (the ancient statue of the Madonna with child indicates the devotional cult linked to the place).
It was first used as a simple refuge for hermit monks and later enlarged with structures built on top of the ancient caves.
There is no precise information on the origins of this sanctuary, but an initial settlement certainly arose in the period following the founding of the abbey of Castel San Vincenzo. The discovery of a series of equipment needed for oil and wine production near the site points to the traces of a vast and articulated monastic complex.
Built in the Romanesque style, the asymmetrical plan is given by a rocky wall on which one of the sides is built and the successive modifications that the church has undergone over the centuries.
The architectural style and its frescoes date back to the late 12th century or the beginning of the following century.
The name by which the church is still known today is on a bell from 1331. The bell was recovered from Rocchetta Vecchia and is now kept in the Basilica of San Vincenzo. It bears the inscription 'FRATER FRANGISCUS DE VULDE REGIA, PRIOR SCE M DE GRIPTIS', i.e. Francesco di Valle Regia, prior of S. Maria delle Grotte.
This 'document' is the first evidence of the church and the presence of a monastic community in Rocchetta.