Convent of Saint Francis

In 1222, Saint Francis of Assisi reached the Valley of Comino to devote himself to prayer and spiritual growth. For three years he settled in Vicalvi, where he obtained from the Benedictines of Montecassino the use of a small chapel dedicated to the Crucifix and two adjoining rooms. These were later enlarged, becoming the present-day convent. During his stay, Saint Francis made an important decision: to become a priest.

Before reaching Atina for ordination, an angel appeared to him with a vessel full of pure water, dissuading him and reminding him that his purity should remain as clear as that water. Following the example of the “little friar,” Franciscanism spread throughout the valley, and three new convents were built: in Alvito, San Donato Val di Comino, and Atina (1630).

In the 1600s, the citizens of Atina wished to host a religious order in the town. Canon Leandro Mancini convinced them to erect a monastery, promising a sum of money if it were built near the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, which he had founded outside the town walls.

The Provincial Father of the Observant Friars Minor of Saint Francis, considering Mancini’s promise and the Community’s decree to provide labor and materials for the construction, decided to send friars to Atina.

On November 14, 1621, in the presence of the entire population, Dean Father Felice of Rome erected a cross on the site where the convent would later rise.

In 1626, the friars were withdrawn, as Atina was considered too far from the Roman province.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, work resumed only years later. On December 3, 1629, after disputes were settled, the friars returned to Atina, and the following year construction began on the monastery and church, solemnly dedicated to Saint Francis.

By 1632

"significant progress had been made when the new Provincial Father arrived in Atina. Seeing the building incomplete, he ordered the friars to leave once again. They returned only in 1635, after Claudio of Atina was appointed president."

Marcantonio Palombo – Ecclesiae Atinatis Historia

“Once the building had taken some form, the Observant friars of Rome came to live there, but after only a few years, as the convent was too distant from their province, they abandoned it. Our citizens then entrusted it to the Observants of Sant’Angelo. For the same reason, these too abandoned the convent, which the Atina clergy continued to venerate.”

P. Buonaventura Tauleri – 1702

In 1688, after a letter from the mayors of Atina to Father Giuseppe of Sulmona, the convent was entrusted to the Reformed Observant Friars of the Province of Saint Bernardine of L’Aquila.

Between 1864 and 1867, the young Italian Parliament discussed the so-called subversive laws, which led first to the suppression of numerous religious orders and corporations (July 7, 1866), and later to the liquidation of ecclesiastical assets (August 15, 1867), transferring property to the State and local authorities for public use.

In Atina, possession of the Monastery of the Reformed Friars was taken in 1864 by the Judge, in the presence of the Mayor.

In summer 1865, the City Council requested the Government to suppress the Monastery of Saint Francis, then occupied by the Reformed Friars, and to cede the property to the Municipality for public and military use.

In October of that year, the friars were concentrated in other convents of their order. On November 15, the Treasury Office of Caserta ordered the church to be closed to the public, with sacred objects transferred to poorer parishes. Later that month, official possession of the cloister was granted to the Municipality of Atina.

On April 14, 1866, the Ecclesiastical Treasury confirmed the notarial deed (February 25, 1866) by which the entire property was granted in perpetual emphyteusis to the Municipality.

On July 8, 1871, the property was officially handed over to the Municipality of Atina. The cadastral registration dates are July 27, 1883, for the garden and June 20, 1884, for the building.

On August 2, 1871, it was decided to house municipal offices on the upper floor, leaving space for the Carabinieri and other authorities. After the necessary modifications, the transfer was completed in May 1872.

The building consisted of 11 ground-floor rooms, 15 on the first floor, and 15 on the second, with three corridors, the church, sacristy, and a small garden, where the cemetery still exists.

An 1870s document notes that the entrance corridor measured 52 palms long and 12 wide. To the left was a courtyard of 40 by 40 palms, with a well about 20 palms deep containing drinking water.

In 1929, the first floor housed the Carabinieri barracks and the local court, while the second floor hosted the Town Hall, the Cooperative Bank, and the elementary school. Ground-floor spaces facing the square were used as cafés, clubs, and garages, while others served various purposes.

As the building belonged to the Municipality, which managed it freely, the original architecture was altered with new entrances, enlarged windows, and reconstructed vaults.

During World War II, the convent was severely damaged, and public offices were moved to Palazzo Cantelmo.

The former convent continued to house the Carabinieri and court offices until the 1984 earthquake, after which it was closed for restoration, works that continue to this day.

The building, large and spacious, with its cloister and annexed church, has an L-shaped plan with a long central wing and smaller side structures. Its façade features a large portico with four lowered arches. Inside are vaulted loggias and beautiful cross vaults.

The convent marked the expansion of Atina beyond its medieval walls, becoming a scenic backdrop at the base of the Santo Stefano hill.

In October 2006, during paving works in front of the building, a large cistern in polygonal masonry was discovered: elliptical in plan (6.20 m × 5.15 m, depth 6 m), paved with terracotta slabs. The most fascinating hypothesis identifies it as the castellum aquae of the Roman aqueduct of Atina.