Cappella dei Cappuccini

The Capuchin convent of Santa Maria in Campanica stands in the wooded hills above Fiuggi. The complex brings together medieval monastic origins and the memory of Saint Felice da Cantalice, who began his Capuchin novitiate here in 1544.

Why it matters

The site developed through successive Benedictine, Conventual Franciscan and Capuchin communities. Its history places Fiuggi within a wider network of religious houses across the Tuscia and the mountains of southern Lazio.

What to notice

Older stone stairs, a well and cisterns preserve traces associated with the early nucleus. The church and former convent occupy a landscape of garden and woodland. A cell adapted as a chapel commemorates Felice's connection with the house, giving a small domestic space a distinct devotional role.

Context and history

The monastic origins are traced to Benedictines connected with Santa Scolastica at Subiaco. Conventual Franciscans rebuilt the church in the fifteenth century, and the Capuchins took over during the sixteenth. Suppressions in the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries interrupted the community's presence, followed by returns and eventual repurchase of the buildings. In May 1944 the convent also sheltered local families during the war.