Guardian of the Holy Door and the remains of Celestine V, the Basilica of Collemaggio remains a marvelous treasure chest of culture and art.
The first element that is certainly noticeable from the outside is its enchanting façade, a masterpiece of medieval Abruzzo architecture and among the most famous of Italian architecture, which does not reflect the original design, but rather its fourth version: the main façade, covered in local white and pink stone, is skillfully set in a polychrome and geometric game.
The richness of the whole is also strongly determined by the portals and rose windows. The central entrance to the Basilica is grandiose, characterised by concentric round arches and lateral jambs decorated with Gothic-style niches which originally contained statues of saints, most of which are now lost.
The side portals are of the same style, but simpler, while the shelves that originally housed the statues of the saints date back to the end of the 13th century.
The three Gothic-style openwork rose windows feature a rich texture, and, above all, the large central rose window is characterised by a double row of small columns and arches.
On the right side of the facade stands an imposing octagonal tower, probably used for blessings to the crowd, which served as the base for a bell tower that was demolished in 1880 and rebuilt elsewhere in the shape of a sail.
On the left side, instead, is the Holy Door (opened on the occasion of the Celestinian Pardon), a splendid portal from the end of the 14th century with fine decorations which presents, in the lunette, a 14th century fresco depicting a Madonna with Child, St. Peter Celestine and the Baptist.
The interior has three naves with a non-projecting transept with a dome at the crossing and three apses, of which the central one has a particular extension.
The splendid Gothic arches, the grandeur communicated by the interior space that extends for 96 meters, the white and pink diamond-shaped floor rich in symbolic meanings and the works of art that are preserved there, finally give a particular value to this wonderful church.
