History
The oratory of Santa Croce in Castellare or Chiesa del Castellare (Castellare's Church) is a religious building located on the top of a hill overlooking the center of San Giovanni alla Vena.
The oratory is dedicated to the Holy Cross and the souls in Purgatory. The name of the place would recall the presence of an ancient fortress built before the barbarian invasions and destroyed in the fourteenth century. On top of the castle there was a church built by the veterans of the First Crusade, in which the anniversary of the victorious return from Jerusalem was celebrated every year. The construction of the small Oratory of the Castellare begun in 1656 by Giuliano Bonanni with the donations of the inhabitants of San Giovanni and inaugurated the 14th September 1657.
In 1718 the parish's priest Giovan Battista Frullani was interested in enlarging it so that more people could enter it to attend the Mass. The enlargement took place thanks to a bequest of 25 ecus by Mr. Valerio Batini, but also thanks to the offerings of other pious people.
The Oratory was blessed by the Archbishop of the time in May 1723. On that occasion, the parish priest transferred the cross of Enrico di Tedice in the Oratory of the Castellare, which was in the chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary adjacent to the parish church.
Mr. Batini also donated a relic of the Holy Cross, seen that the small church was dedicated to the Holy Cross and to the souls in Purgatory. During the night of 20th-21st June 1931, there has been an attempt to steal the ancient Crucifix. Taken into custody by the Superintendency for restoration, the Crucifix was lost. In the meantime, during the last war, the top of the castle was targeted by American heavy artillery.
On 14th July 1944, an heavy American shelling hit the explosive material that the Germans had transported to the top of the mountain, which they used as an observation point. The roof was gone, the walls crushed in several places, the altar reduced to rubble.
After the war, the Oratory was rebuilt between 20th April and 1st May 1949 with the help of the population, who brought bricks, sand, water and lime to Castellare on their backs. The parish priest had the stone altar and the wooden riser with the painting of the Last Supper, which was previously in the Company of the Blessed Sacrament, it was brought to Castellare. After a long research, the crucifix was found, restored and, this time, placed on the high altar of the parish church.
On the outside of the main entrance door, a beautiful sentence welcomes the pilgrim that is panting for the steep climb: DUM LAPIDEM CALCAS, COR LAPIS ILLE TRAHAT (As you tread on the stone, O heart, that stone you drag).
A beloved symbol
Since 3rd May 2015, that was the centenary of Silvano Batini (one of the main promoters of the reconstruction of the church, which has been half-destroyed by the bombing of World War II) the oratory has contained an exact copy of the wooden cross by Enrico di Tedice. The cross was made by the artist Stefano Ghezzani, who collaborated with the craftsman Nilo Vannozzi, who took care of the wooden part. The initiative was based on the noble desire to return the lost icon to the Castellare. The work of art was donated to the town of San Giovanni alla Vena.
The undisputed symbol of San Giovanni Alla Vena, slangily called the "Chiesino" (little church)", is dedicated to the Holy Cross and the souls in Purgatory: legend has it that it was built by a crusader returning from the Holy Land.
Traditionally, in the first week of May, the Feast of the Holy Cross in Castellare, is celebrated, which is very much felt by the Sangiovannese community. Throughout the week, the main square is animated by carousel drivers, but it is on Saturday evening that it all begins: a luminous procession accompanies the relic to the oratory of the Castellare and starts the historic fireworks display; on Sunday, the relic is returned to the parish church and on Monday afternoon the community celebrates on the top of the Castellare, with a legendary snack based on local products and grandmothers' secret recipes.
In May 2017, an accidental explosion seriously damaged the Oratory of the Castellare, which was then faithfully rebuilt with the support of all the citizens.
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