Located on the slopes of Mount Castellone, a few kilometers from Vairano Patenora, the Abbey of Santa Maria della Ferraria-or Ferrara-is one of the most significant Cistercian monastic complexes in southern Italy. Founded in 1179 as a filiation of the Abbey of Fossanova (Latium), following the spiritual line of Clairvaux, it was the first Cistercian abbey in the Kingdom of Naples, built starting in 1171 at the behest of Count Riccardo de Sangro.
Consecrated the same year of its foundation, the abbey was a spiritual and cultural hub, so much so that it welcomed such illustrious figures as Frederick II of Swabia and Pope Celestine V, then still a monk. It was also distinguished for its special devotion to the Holy Spirit, inspired by the mystical theories of Joachim of Fiore, who found fertile ground here.
The original layout was built around a quadrangular cloister, with a three-nave church with a rectilinear presbytery, later completed by a semicircular apse. Of particular note is the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, built in the late 13th century in memory of the nobleman Malgerio Sorel, a friend of Celestine V. Inside is the only surviving fresco: a lunette with the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Benedict, St. Bernard of Clairvaux and a group of monks, among whom the future pope himself is recognizable.
The abbey fell into decline in the 14th century, culminating with the suppression of religious orders by Joseph Bonaparte in 1807. Since then, the structure was gradually abandoned, turned into a farmhouse, until it was reduced to the status of a ruin. Today much of the abbey is in a dilapidated condition, overgrown by vegetation and subject to structural collapse. The only partially recovered part is the chapel of Malgerio Sorel, the subject of a recent restoration thanks to the intervention of private individuals and cultural associations.
Despite its current state, the Abbey of Santa Maria della Ferraria represents a testimony of great historical and cultural value, declared of public interest by the Ministry of Culture. Its recovery could become a symbol of rebirth for the territory on the border between Campania and Lazio, custodian of one of the oldest monastic experiences in southern Italy.