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All Italy Serrone Romitorio di San Michele Arcangelo
AO Edited

Romitorio di San Michele Arcangelo

This small hermitage on Mount Scalambra was built near what some believe is the miraculous imprint of Saint Benedict's hand.

Serrone, Italy

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Jan Claus Di Blasio
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The hermitage with the enormous holm oak tree   LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
  LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
The view from the hermitage   LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
The trail winds through the holm oak trees   LatiumMirabile / Atlas Obscura User
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Halfway between the medieval town of Serrone (738 meters above sea level) and the peak of Mount Scalambra, along a steep hike through the holm oak woods, there is a small stone hermitage. The Hermitage of Saint Michael stands directly against a rocky cliff and with an extraordinary view over the valley below (1105 meters above sea level).

The hermitage was restored in 1758 and local documentation has shown that it was run by the order of the Benedictines based in nearby Subiaco. They identified the site with a local tradition, which holds that Saint Benedict meditated in this specific spot in the company of three crows who showed him the path. An imprint of the saint's hand is believed to appear on the rock nearby. Other traditions associated the imprint with the struggle between Saint Michael the Archangel—the patron saint of Serrone, to whom the hermitage is dedicated—and the Devil who, upon defeat, left an imprint of his foot in the rock.

The views from the top of Mount Scalambra are also worth the hike, despite the settlement built in the latter half of the 20th century that some say spoils the view. The trail that leads to the mountain peak winds through moss-covered and fairy-like holm oak woods.

The hermitage is only open on request or during religious processions.

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Hermitage Religion Mountains Monasteries Sacred Spaces

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LatiumMirabile

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April 26, 2021

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Romitorio di San Michele Arcangelo
Serrone, 03010
Italy
41.84412, 13.105654

Nearby Places

Trevi Waterfall

Rome, Italy

miles away

Sacro Speco di San Benedetto

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miles away

Barnekow House

Anagni, Italy

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Italy

Italy

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Places 1,054
Stories 110

Nearby Places

Trevi Waterfall

Rome, Italy

miles away

Sacro Speco di San Benedetto

Subiaco, Italy

miles away

Barnekow House

Anagni, Italy

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Italy

Italy

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Stories 110

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