Porta Santa Maria

Porta Santa Maria, also known as Porta Cava, is the surviving historic gate of Civita di Bagnoregio. Cut into the tuff and later altered with a Gothic arch, it preserves traces of the town's Etruscan and medieval history.

Why it matters

The gate is the only one of Civita's historic entrances to survive, according to the town's account of the borgo. It stands at the threshold of a settlement whose history is marked by medieval conflict and the erosion of its tuff plateau. The gate's structure and carved decorations preserve several layers of that past.

What to notice

The passage was cut into the tuff in Etruscan times, while a Gothic arch was added later. Incised crosses within triangles appear on the flanking walls; their association with returning Templars is a local interpretation, not a certainty. Bas-reliefs commemorate the 1457 revolt against the Monaldeschi, whose Cervara castle the townspeople destroyed. Two basalt lions gripping human heads were incorporated into the gate as part of that commemorative programme. The name Porta Santa Maria recalls a nearby church of the Madonna that no longer survives.

Context and history

The reliefs and lions memorialise a moment of resistance against Monaldeschi rule. The gate's history is also connected to Civita's changing entrances: the town's historical account describes five gates at the height of its importance, of which Porta Santa Maria is the sole survivor. Nearby, the lost Porta della Maestà is associated in local legend with a thermal spring and with the origin of the name Bagnoregio.