Chiesa e Monastero di S Ponziano

Last week, one of my first afternoon explorations involved visiting Chiesa e Monastero di S Ponziano. I've already forgotten some of the precious details about the chiesa since it seems like weeks ago that I visited! As you can see from my pictures, I decided to save some energy and take one of the two escalators that run in the city of Spoleto. This particular escalator begins slightly below the Rocca and takes you towards the west end of town. It exists in seven different sections that automatically turn off after a period of idleness and turn on when the weight sensor detects you at the top. What's really fun is when you approach the dormant sections, step on the first stair, and get jolted by the sudden movement of it turning on...but, I digress.

Ponziano. I had heard from the Spoleto tour guide that there was a road cutting under highway SS N 3 Flaminia (the old Roman road that connects Rome to the east coast via Spoleto), that allowed safe passage to Ponziano, but I wasn't exactly sure where I was going. Accompanied by my two roommates who had no idea how far I was intending on going, and my new friend Elly Chew, I trudged up a new hill in search of this road. We eventually found the road AND the chiesa and enjoyed a nice view of Spoleto from a little “foothill.” As we entered the courtyard to Ponziano(a place that appeared all but deserted), a man called out to us in Italian. He quickly discovered that we spoke very little Italian, and so instead of speaking, he took our hands and headed towards the door. He pulled back an enormous door—behind which was another set of doors—and we were amazed at how we'd somehow managed to land ourselves a guided tour. Once we entered the chiesa, he began to speak to us with all of the English he knew to tell us about the chiesa. The “sanctuary” was built in the Baroque era, and it is the most modern part of the chiesa. It was at Ponziano that I first learned of typical European church construction. Typically, from what I've seen here in Italy, you have a church with three “aisles”; the center is filled with pews, and the side “aisles” have artwork, sculptures, and confessional booths. The organ can be tucked away in many different places, but usually, it's near the front of the church, in a balcony that may initially be hidden from your view. The organ may also appear at the back of the church, above the entrance.

More interesting is the crypt. Every church I've been in so far (except for S Salvatore) has had a crypt that is beneath the front platform. In every case, the crypt is by far the oldest part of the church. The crypt in S Ponziano was absolutely beautiful. In some ways, I was more impressed by this ancient crypt than all the finery of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. You can see my photos on facebook of the crypt, and you'll see several beautiful frescos that have survived the test of time. Only a few of the frescos in Panziano were ever restored, and even so, the restorations were limited to square centimeter spaces. These restorations most likely happened in an era that most Americans would still consider ancient. I can't remember exact dates on each of the frescos, but our guide used his fingers to tell us that they were all from the early 1100s. He told us which pillars were original, and where the original doors to the crypt had been blocked in. At one point, he took my hand and put it up on a fresco so that I could feel the beeswax coating that had been the reason for its survival all these years. He was excited to point out the appearance of each member of the trinity on the fresco in the center of the crypt. The fresco depicted Jesus' crucifixion, with God the Father shown above in heaven, and the Holy Spirit as a dove perched on top of the cross. It was a beautiful fresco, and he eagerness to describe that moment in time to us was also beautiful. The hallway to the crypt had a few random frescos that we simply passed by. I can't imagine having so much history living around you that there isn't even enough time to see all of it!

As we exited the church, we could hear the nuns praying the evening prayers. It sounded like a buzzing beehive, although we found out later that there are only 9 nuns living there today. Our guide said that the monastery had changed from housing monks to housing nuns about 104 years ago, and he's uncertain how long that tradition will continue. Beatta Marina, who I imagine was one of the first nuns to serve at Ponziano, is “buried” in a glass case in one of the side aisles. (I only know her name because I asked our tour guide in my broke Italian "there, who woman dead?") It took me a while to realize what I was looking at, and as soon as I did, I snapped a quick picture like a good little tourist, and hopped outta there super fast!!