Abbey of Sant’Ellero

The Abbey of Sant’Ellero, according to the Vita Hilari, was founded at the end of the 5th century A.D. by the saint Ellerus, who retired to the hill overlooking Galeata to live a totally ascetic life. Today only the abbey church remains, the monastery was abandoned and destroyed by the earthquakes that occurred over the centuries in the Upper Bidente Valley.

The façade of the church was built with sandstone blocks in the Romanesque style (11th-12th centuries) and has a beautiful portal decorated with capitals with mermaids symbolizing sin (right side) and monks praying (left side). During the 17th and 18th centuries, the interior was greatly modified, although it still retains the typical medieval structure with a raised presbytery and a crypt under the church. In the side chapels some decorative elements and sculptures of the old church body have been preserved, while the most important pieces have been transferred to the Civic Museum “Mons. Domenico Mambrini” in Galeata.

The powerful abbey, founded by Saint Ellerus at the end of the 5th century, had a great political and spiritual influence over the whole Bidente valley. The crypt contains the late medieval sarcophagus of Saint Ellerus. The crypt is visited by many pilgrims.

The abbey can be reached through the ancient path of the cells, recently restored, with a beautiful view over Galeata and its surroundings, in particular over the terrace where the Roman town of Mevaniola was built.

Entrance fee: free

How to get there: Galeata is about 34 km from Forlì along the 4 Bidente provincial road. The abbey is 3 km from Galeata.