Descrizione
Set amidst the lush countryside of Mondolfo – which boasts the FEE ‘Green Spike’ award – on the left bank of the River Cesano, and built using reclaimed materials from the Roman era, stands the Abbey of San Gervasio di Bulgaria, one of the oldest churches in the Diocese of Senigallia, if not one of the most enigmatic, offering those who cross its threshold a treasure trove of mysteries and secrets. Dating back to the 5th–6th centuries, the building stands in the middle of an archaeological site, in an area once occupied by the Bulgars, a barbarian people who formed an alliance with the Lombards. The fact that the Abbey was built close to the Valcesano Provincial Road 424 comes as no surprise, as, in the past, churches and temples were deliberately built near the busiest roads, precisely so that the Word might spread more easily and widely. Moreover, it is highly likely that the post station of Ad Pirum Filumeni, as recorded in the Tabula Peutingeriana, was situated in this area; it served as a centre for trade and other activities.
Externally, the Abbey has a basilica-style layout comprising three naves; internally, however, there is a single main nave, following the alterations carried out during the 18th century to the church’s interior. The altar faces east, towards the rising sun, because the Church venerates the Sun of Righteousness, that is, Christ the Lord. Halfway down the nave, one can make out the threshold of an opening, perhaps the door of the earlier structure, serving as the entrance to the Abbey’s oldest building, the original dating of which is shrouded in mystery; it is likely linked to a martyrium, that is, a place where the relics of a saint were venerated. But it is the ‘mushroom-shaped’ crypt that is the most striking feature of the entire Abbey: a structure supported by a column of cipollino marble, at the centre of which lies the largest Ravenna-style sarcophagus in the Marche region, a true artistic gem, which, according to tradition, contains the body of Saint Gervasius and is engraved with the Cross, the Constantinian labellum, peacocks and ivy. The baptismal font, dating from the 12th century and now preserved in Mondolfo Town Hall, is also worthy of note.
