Chiesa di San Costanzo

The Church of San Costanzo stands above Termini, at the southern edge of Massa Lubrense. Its rock-cut approach, plain exterior and double-domed interior reflect a long history of local devotion and rebuilding.

Why it matters

Local families built the church as a modest chapel, with construction traced to 1550 and a first documentary mention in 1566. Its interior was completed between 1700 and 1730 under Monsignor Nepita. The annual feast of San Costanzo is associated with a procession from the village toward Monte San Costanzo.

What to notice

The church has a rectangular single nave covered by two extradosed domes and a barrel-vaulted apse. Its walls combine tufa and rubble stone, with a roof of beaten lapillo and a floor inlaid with cut marble. During Monsignor Nepita's works, a gilt wooden image of the saint was found on the altar; behind it was a fresco of the Virgin with San Bernardino and San Costanzo.

Context and history

Termini's name derives from the Latin terminus, reflecting the village's position before Punta Campanella. The sixteenth-century chapel developed into the present church through the later interior works. San Costanzo's annual feast remains part of the village's devotional tradition. The church is distinct from the separate chapel at the summit of Monte San Costanzo.