Basilica of Sant’Angelo in Formis

Capua, Italy

The Benedictine Basilica of Sant’Angelo in Formis stands at the foot of Mount Tifata, on the remains of a temple dedicated to Diana Tifatina. The pagan temple’s ruins, found in 1877, show that the plan of the basilica traces its perimeter. The construction date of the primitive church of Sant’Angelo in Formis is unknown, but it is placed at the end of the sixth century AD. and it’s attributed to the Lombard princes.

We do know that a church certainly existed in the 10th century, when the Cassinese monks were granted a permission to build a monastery there. In 1072 the ownership of the building passed from Richard I, Prince of Capua and Count of Aversa, to the Abbey of Montecassino, ruled in those years by Abbot Desiderio (1027-1087). Under his rectorate, the Basilica of Sant’Angelo in Formis was rebuilt and equipped with a wall decoration whose remains today represent one of the most important monuments of the Middle Ages.

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Address

Via Luigi Baia 191, Capua, Italy
See all sites in Capua

Details

Founded: 11th century
Category: Religious sites in Italy

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Giulio Palermo (7 months ago)
Beautiful. An incredible church.
Kolla (11 months ago)
I like the view and the church. Spent 25 minutes here. Just taking it in :) Btw there are loads of hikes here :)
Bart Depuydt (3 years ago)
One of the most beautiful churches we ever visited and we visit a lot. We gave ourselfs neck pain starring at those frescoes Warning: the local trainstation is not serviced by the usual trenitalia but by a small company called EAV. Relevant info about departure times and platforms are a nightmare to find in Napels Centrale. On the day we went at least 2 of the trains were replaced by a bus service.
Leonella Ferrarini (lefe) (4 years ago)
Amazing location from where you can enjoy a spacious view of the valley. Gardens full of fruit trees. The basil is rich in colorful paintings typical of Longobard art. On the upper part of the aisles and nave are paintings of religious scenes subdivided in new and old testament.
Brendan Crowe (4 years ago)
I went today from Naples. It was an arduous journey, but it needn't have been. First, I had conflicting information. Google said the site was closed. According to the woman selling tickets at the Amphitheatre in Santa Maria Capua Vettere (Old Capua), it was open. I do not know what the basis of her information was, but there is another online site that said the same. I decided to gamble and go. The only thing I had to lose was time and a gallon of sweat. I was referred to a bus. She did not know the details, and there signs for bus stops are very rare. Google indicated there would be a bus from the main train station, but there was no bus; and as I found out once I reached the church, there would be no bus because of road repairs. I walked for more than an hour, and I found the church open. It was decorated for a wedding. It turns out that when it is not "open," it is indeed open for weddings. The church has to make money somehow. The young women who were working at the church tried helping me find my way back to Naples; they were perfectly charming. One knew that there was a station just down the hill called S. Angelo in Formis and that I could find a train there back to Naples. What I later found out at the station was that you can take a train from Naples to and from Sant' Angelo in Formis, but it's not a TrenItalia train. It's a single car train, and it goes by E.A.V.; and it's well maintained and air-conditioned. Let's say you want to visit the Amphitheatre in Capua where Spartacus trained and fought. Well, there is apparently a stop on this EVA train, and it takes only another 8 minutes to reach the stop for Sant' Angelo in Formis; and they are all connected to Napoli Centrale. I am not going to attach other pictures of the church, itself. What matters is getting there and back quickly and conveniently, and I hope to make your lives easier. The schedule for the EAV trains is attached. The trains arrive (for sure) and probably depart from Napoli Centrale's lowest-numbered platforms, like 1 or 2. Try Rome2Rio, or find the E.V.A. site.
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