It is the ancient Aletrium, one of the leading centers of the Italic people of the Ernici, known above all for the pre-Roman acropolis surrounded by megalithic walls... #tuttitaly
On the slopes of the Ernici Mountains, on a twin hill in the heart of Ciociaria, stands the city of Alatri. One of the main centers of the Italic people of the Ernici, it is known above all for the Roman Acropolis, surrounded by megalithic walls. The Porta Maggiore stands out for its grandeur.
The city has a significant heritage of monuments of great architectural and artistic interest. We can visit the following:
- The Cathedral of San Paolo is located in the center and on the top of the Acropolis;
Built on an ancient temple around the 10th century, it was then remodeled during the 19th century and still preserves the statue of San Sisto with a silver face dating back to 1584.
- The church of San Francesco was built at the end of the 13th century and remodeled inside in Baroque style in the 18th century.
- Adjacent to the church, we find the Convent of San Francesco dating back to 1359. In a narrow, decorated passage is a mysterious fresco known as the "Labyrinth of Alatri." Found by chance in 1997, the painting is in a bad state of conservation. It depicts a circular labyrinth with Christ Pantocrator in the center.
The presence of Christ inside a maze is considered unique in the world. The painting, without any signature, is also known as the "Christ in the Labyrinth," datable between the 13th and 14th centuries. Curiously, the labyrinth's path is identical to that depicted on the floor of the Cathedral of Chartres in France.
Also noteworthy is the Romanesque-Gothic collegiate church of Santa Maria Maggiore, the proto-monastery of
San Sebastiano, the nineteenth-century monumental fountains, the Gottifredo palace, and the Conti-Gentili castle.
The Acropolis, locally known as Civita, is located in the heart of the historic center on the top of the hill on which the city stands, 502 m above sea level. The fortress is surrounded by walls of several layers of polymorphic megaliths, coming from the same hill and made to fit together perfectly without limes or cement.
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