In 1989, the Abbey was entrusted, by the Archbishop of the local diocese, to the Little Brothers of Jesus Caritas .
THE ABBEY OF GOLETO
The Jesus Caritas Community has one of its fraternities at the Abbey of Goleto, in S. Angelo dei Lombardi (Avellino). This abbey was founded by Saint Guglielmo da Vercelli in 1133 as a female cloister, with a small attached masculine monastery for the spiritual guidance and economic assistance of the nuns, who lived in strict enclosure.
The Epoch of the Nuns embraces a period which lasted from 1135 to 1515. During the first two centuries the community grew and became famous for the holiness of the nuns, under the guidance of celebrated and holy abbesses, and it became rich in land and artworks. From 1348, a year of terrible plague, the cloister began to decline. Pope Giulio II, on January 24, 1506, declared its closure which, in fact, occurred with the death of the last abbess in 1515.
The Epoch of the Monks. The monastery was then added to that of Montevergine, which assured the presence of some monks, and thus began a slow recovery, which received strong impulse from Pope Sisto V, who was already superior of the Franciscan Convent of S. Angelo dei Lombardi. The best period was between the mid seventeenth century and the mid eighteenth century, and culminated with the complete restoration of the monastery and the construction of the large church, a highly estimed work of Domenico Antonio Vaccaro.
The Abbey was suppressed in 1807 by Joseph Bonaparte. The body of S. Guglielmo, which resided there, was moved to Montevergine and the furnishings of the monastery were divided among the nearby towns. Between 1807 and 1973, the abbey remained totally abandoned¸ doors and stones were stolen, the ceilings and walls collapsed, and blackberries grew over everything. In 1973 the monk of Montevergine, Lucio M. De Marino, obtained permission to relocate to Goleto, beginning its spiritual and material restoration.
The tremendous earthquake of 1980 did not interrupt his work and when, for reasons of health, he had to retire, the splendid restoration was well advanced.
To see
The Tower of Febronia. . Named for the Abbess who ordered its construction in 1152 to defend the monastery. A true masterpiece of Romanic art, it includes numerous bas reliefs from a Roman mausoleum. Access to the second floor of the tower is gained by way of a drawbridge. Also conserved are symbolic sculptures of romanic origin.The lower church or funerary chapel. At the center of the complex, today, one finds the two superimposed churches which signal the passage between romanic art (the lower church, 1200) and gothic art (the upper church, 1255). The lower church was built as a funerary chapel. Its plan contains two naves, separated by monolithic columns. It is markedly reminiscent of the romanic art of Puglia, which must have been emphatic in the apses, today nonexistant.
The chapel of S. Luca or upper church. This is the pearl of the Abbey. One arrives by an external stair whose parapet is ornamented by a handrail in the form of a serpent with an apple in its mouth. On the front of the arch which surmounts the entrance there is an inscription which relates that the church was built by Marina II to receive the remains of Saint Luca. The interior consists of a small room with two naves covered with ogival transepts which rest upon two central columns and upon ten half columns inserted in the perimetral walls. According to some experts, the bases of the colums and the capitals are reminiscent of the residence built by Federico II at Castel del Monte, in Puglia. The altars are also of great value. On the outside, there are two notable apses and buttresses with animal heads or ornamental motifs.
The large church or the church of the Vaccaro.The church takes its name from the great Neapolitan architect Domenico Antonio Vaccaro, who built it between 1735 and 1745. Though today lacking its roof and other important parts, it retains nevertheless an unbelievable charm. It is in the form of a Greek cross, surmounted by a central cupola. Here one can admire, in all its beauty, the recently restored designs on its floor.
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A view of bell tower.
Another view of bell tower and the entrances of churchs
The Great Church.