The medieval village of Maenza on the Lepini Mountain, between Mount Calvello and the Amaseno Valley, has developed around its Baronial Castle.
Maenza – www.prolocomaenza.it
The history of Maenza, witnessed by its alleys, tower-houses, and the ancient Loggia dei Mercanti, was written by the Caetani, Borgia, Aldobrandini, Borghese and Pecci feudal Families, who succeeded one another over the centuries.
Baronial Castle of Maenza – www.italia.it
The squared-planned Castle, or Baronial Palace, stands out in the historic centre. It was turned from a defensive residence into a Renaissance court under the Counts of Ceccano, of probable German origins.
interior of the Baronial Castle – www.italia.it
In 1274, the Castle hosted San Tommaso D’Aquino for a short period, before he moved to the Abbey of Fossanova, where he died. In 2015, a pilgrimage of about fifteen kilometres took place along the Saint’s itinerary.
San Tommaso d’Aquino, the miracle of the herrings – www.prolocomaenza.it
It is said that, when San Tommaso had fallen ill in Maenza, he asked for herrings, which were difficult to find in this area. A fisherman from Terracina arrived at the castle with a basket full of anchovies, and then a miracle occurred, and they all turned into herrings.
In Piazza Duomo, under the Baronial Castle, stands a monument dedicated to the Saint, a sculpture in bronze and travertine by Gabriele Jagnocco, inaugurated in 2011. The statue bears the symbols of the Saint’s stay in Maenza: the miracle of the herrings, the olive branch, the books and the Castle profile.
The Church of Santa Maria Assunta – www.compagniadeilepini.it
Next to the Castle stands a complex, commissioned by Cristoforo Caetani in 1400, which includes the Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Cielo, with the fresco of the “Madonna delle Cerase”, and the Church of Santa Reparata, with its ancient Franciscan Convent. Near Porta Maggiore, we find the Palace of Gioacchino Pecci, the future Pope Leo XIII, today the seat of the Town Hall.
Maenza LT The Cherry Festival – Facebook @archiviostorico.sagradelleciliegie
The most representative events of Maenza are the Cherry Festival in mid-June and the Sacred Representation of the Passion, one of the most important re-enactments of this kind at an international level.
Sacred Representation of the Passion of Christ in Maenza
The Sacred Representation is staged along the alleys and squares of the village on the two weekends of Palm Sunday and Good Friday, with a parade of approximately five hundred local actors, included Jesus, Mary, Judas, Mary Magdalene, the centurions and the Pious Women.
Sacred Representation of Good Friday – www.catalogo.beniculturali.it
During the Passion of Christ, represented since 1969, the scenes are narrated by a Prophet and the costumes, soundtrack and settings are created by local artisans.