• Introduction
• The walls
• The church
• The frescoes
• The cross

The Legend of Paganico's Crucifix

The legend tells that while hunting for wild boar, hunters from Civitella found the Crucifix in a dense wood. They decided to leave it there until evening when they intended to carry it back to their own church. It was therefore a great surprise when later that evening they discovered that the Crucifix had been taken to the church at Paganico. This had been done by a second group of men who had abandoned their hunt in order to carry the Crucifix to their own church. At this point two versions of the legend appear.

According to one version, following a series of arguments and disputes, the Civitella hunters removed the Crucifix and took it to their own church. In the morning, however, when no one could find it in the church they assumed that the inhabitants of Paganico had stolen it. But to their great surprise the only prints they could discover in the snow that had fallen during the night were those made by the wood of the Cross itself. They led directly from Civitella to the church in Paganico where the Cross had miraculously returned.

The other version tells that, following their arguments, the two communities decided to place the matter in the hands of God. The Crucifix was placed on a cart pulled by two oxen that were allowed to move freely. After wandering aimlessly for a time, the animals headed towards Paganico where they stopped right in front of the church, which today is the resting place of the Crucifix.