The Abbey of Santa Croce di Sassovivo, located at an altitude of 574 meters on sea level, is an articulated agglomerate of buildings surrounded by olive trees and holm oaks. Its foundation dates to the second half of the 11th century and it was built over the remains of a fortified residence of the Monaldi family. By the 13th century the abbey controlled 92 monasteries, 41 churches and 7 hospitals.
In the highest part of the abbey there is a large courtyard overlooked by the church. From the atrium of the church, we pass to the magnificent Romanesque cloister of 1229, the work of Pietro de Maria, characterized by 128 columns framing 58 arches.
From the cloister, from where the monastery and refectory are accessed, one may access the lower courtyard bordered by the Loggia of the Paradise and other convent buildings: among the main buildings there is the Crypt of San Marone, hermit and Syro-Lebanese saint founder of the Maronite Church, whose relics, having gone through some complex vicissitudes, are linked to the Abbey and the Church of San Mauro di Volperino.
