Italy's Tempio del Valadier: A chapel inside a cave

Landmark is located inside a massive natural cave in Marche region of Italy. Set within a natural cave at the entrance to the Frasassi cave system, near the town of Genga in the Marche region of central Italy, stands a small neoclassical chapel known as the Tempio del Valadier. The structure occupies a ledge inside the limestone gorge of the Gola di Frasassi, in the province of Ancona, and forms part of a religious complex that has been in use for roughly a thousand years. A site with older roots The Tempio del Valadier stands within a few dozen metres of a much earlier sanctuary, Santa Maria infra Saxa - Latin for "Saint Mary among the rocks" - which is cited in documents dating to 1029. That earlier structure is a plain stone building erected by Benedictine monks to house a burned image of the Madonna. The cave itself served as a place of shelter long before either structure was built: when the Tempietto was constructed, a number of skeletal remains were discovered in the cave entrance. Local accounts suggest the site was also used by inhabitants of the area as refuge during Hungarian raids in the 10th century. Commission and construction The chapel was commissioned in 1819 by Cardinal Annibale della Genga - who would later become Pope Leo XII - and was inaugurated in 1828. Leo XII, born in Genga in 1760, took a personal interest in the development of his home town and the surrounding area after his election to the papacy in 1823. A plaque on the façade records his intention that the place serve as a refuge for Christians seeking forgiveness. The building is octagonal in plan and built in the neoclassical style. White travertine blocks, quarried from a site above the cave within the same gorge, were used in its construction. The structure is topped by a cupola covered in lead sheeting. The altar was made of local alabaster. The question of authorship The chapel has long carried the name "Tempio del Valadier," implying it was designed by Giuseppe Valadier (1762-1839), the Roman architect and urban planner who was a leading figure of Italian Neoclassicism. Valadier is known principally for the redesign of the Piazza del Popolo in Rome (completed 1822), and served as architetto camerale - official architect to the papacy - from 1786. His connection to Genga would therefore have been plausible given his standing at the papal court. However, a 2016 study of previously unexamined archival documents by researcher Maria Cristina Cavola established that Valadier had no involvement in the building whatsoever. The chapel was instead the result of contributions from a succession of local architects and project managers over the course of its construction. Despite this finding, the name Tempio del Valadier remains in widespread use. Interior and artworks The altar once held a white Carrara marble statue of the Virgin with Child attributed to the studio of Antonio Canova. That statue is now kept at the Museum of Genga "Art, History, Territory," and a copy has been placed in its original position within the chapel. Inside, seating lines the perimeter walls, and three rows of windows were incorporated into the design to admit as much natural light as possible. Location and access The chapel is reached by following the road from the Frasassi Caves towards Genga. A path of around one kilometre leads uphill from a small car park to the cave entrance, where a stone arch marks the threshold. The Tempio stands immediately inside, set into the rock face. The site falls within the Parco Naturale Regionale della Gola della Rossa e di Frasassi. Each year at Christmas, the cave hosts a live nativity scene, the Presepe Vivente di Genga, drawing visitors from across the region. *The site is temporarily closed to the public

WIRE — Landmark is located inside a massive natural cave in Marche region of Italy. Set within a natural cave at the entrance to the Frasassi cave system, near the town of Genga in the Marche region of central Italy, stands a small neoclassical chapel known as the Tempio del Valadier. The structure occupies a ledge inside the limestone gorge of the Gola di Frasassi, in the province of Ancona, and forms part of a religious complex that has been in use for roughly a thousand years. A site with older roots The Tempio del Valadier stands within a few dozen metres of a much earlier sanctuary, Santa Maria infra Saxa - Latin for "Saint Mary among the rocks" - which is cited in documents dating to 1029. That earlier structure is a plain stone building erected by Benedictine monks to house a burned image of the Madonna. The cave itself served as a place of shelter long before either structure was built: when the Tempietto was constructed, a number of skeletal remains were discovered in the cave entrance. Local accounts suggest the site was also used by inhabitants of the area as refuge during Hungarian raids in the 10th century. Commission and construction The chapel was commissioned in 1819 by Cardinal Annibale della Genga - who would later become Pope Leo XII - and was inaugurated in 1828. Leo XII, born in Genga in 1760, took a personal interest in the development of his home town and the surrounding area after his election to the papacy in 1823. A plaque on the façade records his intention that the place serve as a refuge for Christians seeking forgiveness. The building is octagonal in plan and built in the neoclassical style. White travertine blocks, quarried from a site above the cave within the same gorge, were used in its construction. The structure is topped by a cupola covered in lead sheeting. The altar was made of local alabaster. The question of authorship The chapel has long carried the name "Tempio del Valadier," implying it was designed by Giuseppe Valadier (1762-1839), the Roman architect and urban planner who was a leading figure of Italian Neoclassicism. Valadier is known principally for the redesign of the Piazza del Popolo in Rome (completed 1822), and served as architetto camerale - official architect to the papacy - from 1786. His connection to Genga would therefore have been plausible given his standing at the papal court. However, a 2016 study of previously unexamined archival documents by researcher Maria Cristina Cavola established that Valadier had no involvement in the building whatsoever. The chapel was instead the result of contributions from a succession of local architects and project managers over the course of its construction. Despite this finding, the name Tempio del Valadier remains in widespread use. Interior and artworks The altar once held a white Carrara marble statue of the Virgin with Child attributed to the studio of Antonio Canova. That statue is now kept at the Museum of Genga "Art, History, Territory," and a copy has been placed in its original position within the chapel. Inside, seating lines the perimeter walls, and three rows of windows were incorporated into the design to admit as much natural light as possible. Location and access The chapel is reached by following the road from the Frasassi Caves towards Genga. A path of around one kilometre leads uphill from a small car park to the cave entrance, where a stone arch marks the threshold. The Tempio stands immediately inside, set into the rock face. The site falls within the Parco Naturale Regionale della Gola della Rossa e di Frasassi. Each year at Christmas, the cave hosts a live nativity scene, the Presepe Vivente di Genga, drawing visitors from across the region. *The site is temporarily closed to the public

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