Along the State Highway 163, which runs from Vietri sul Mare to Maiori, at the Capo d'Orso promontory, just a few minutes from the center of Maiori, the visitor finds the ancient monastic complex of S. Maria de Olearia. The complex was constructed between the ninth and tenth centuries by a convent of Byzantine monks. This small jewel of an Abbey is hidden in one of the many natural grottos found in the mountainside along the road.
The abbey of S. Maria de Olearia is precious evidence of the art and architecture of the early medieval period. In 973, when the hermit Pietro and his nephew Giovanni founded this Abbey, there was an oil-press in the vicinity of the cavern, hence the name given to the Abbey. In this enthralling atmosphere, the Medieval period and its splendor, come to life once again. At that time, Maiori was the center of the Duchy of Amalfi; in that period, the many monastic complexes represented an active and contemplative presence in the area.
The Abbey comprises 3 chapels, constructed one upon the other: the visitor finds the oldest chapel at the lowest level; this chapel is carved out of the rocky mountainside and therefore it is referred to as the "chapel in the rock". The visitor can admire frescoes which depict the "Vergine Orante" (the praying Virgin) found in the center of this chapel, and to the right, a warrior Saint, probably St. George according to the Byzantine Iconography. The frescoes in the Abbey (discovered in 1868) make up one of the most important groups of mural paintings in the Campania region, and date back to the early Medieval. Several of these frescoes are probably the oldest remaining from the period of the Duchy of Amalfi. A few steps lead up to the winding pathway along which the hermit monks built their small cells. The original room was larger than the area that can be visited today, and in the course of the centuries the cells were utilized as burial cells, hence they were given the name "catacombs".
Going up to the floor above, the visitor finds the second chapel. This chapel has two naves with a center column in tuff. Several wall paintings depict the theme of the Marion cycle, from the Annunciation to the Nativity, to the Visitation. The beauty of the magnificent frescoes, interrupted by the white walls, is enhanced by the splendid view of a distant blue horizon where the sea and the sky form a perfect, harmonious union. Entering into the churchyard which overlooks the sea, a short series of stairs leads to the last chapel, the extreme refuge for those monks seeking complete solitude. The frescoes of this chapel all depict episodes from the life of S. Nicola di Nera. In the Apse there stands a Virgin with child flanked by San Paolino to the right and San Nicola to the left, both identified by an inscription. On the archway of the Apse, Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist are depicted, in a praising attitude and turned toward a medallion placed above the Apse. The depiction of the Saints are full figured and they are holding scrolls.
The beauty of the medieval Byzantine style and the natural beauty of snippets of the sea seen through the silvery fronds of the olive trees flow together magnificently in the Abbey of S. Maria de Olearia, a jewel of medieval architecture.
Visits to the Abbey are upon reservations.
Reservations can by made by e-mail, by contacting the Maiori City Hall.
