Relais Convento Santa Croce is the ideal place to treat yourself to a few days of complete wellness and relaxation. Take a break from the hustle and bustle of city life and immerse yourself in the most authentic beauty of Umbria, surrounded by green hills and unspoiled nature, just minutes from some of the region’s most charming villages, such as Cascia, Norcia, and Scheggino.
Every morning begins with a moment of indulgence: alongside the great classics of Italian breakfast, you will find homemade cakes and traditional sweets, as well as locally sourced cured meats and cheeses from nearby producers.
To make your stay even more special, during the warmer months you can enjoy an outdoor hot tub, where you can unwind after a day spent exploring the beautiful surrounding villages. A glass of prosecco in hand, the sky painted with warm sunset hues, and the peaceful silence of nature all around you.
Here, time slows down—breathe, and enjoy the relaxation you truly deserve.
The history of the Convent
ong before becoming a place of hospitality and wellbeing, these walls were a refuge of spirituality and prayer. Tradition tells that Blessed Cristina of Santa Croce, a Franciscan tertiary remembered for her extraordinary spirituality, once lived here. It was the 14th century. The Valnerina was still rugged and wild, and this place represented a sanctuary for contemplation and introspection. Her name has endured through the centuries, even mentioned in the Franciscan annals of the time—a testament to a presence that left a lasting mark.
Then came the 17th century, bringing with it a decisive turning point.
The Church of Santa Croce had fallen into neglect. Its walls bore the weight of time, and the convent seemed destined for permanent silence.
It was then that a man from these lands, Cesare Cardini, chose to restore dignity to this place. In 1610, he obtained official authorization from the Basilica of St. John Lateran to restore the church and bring it back to life. It was not merely an architectural intervention, but an act of care, responsibility, and deep belonging.
Religious services resumed. The friars returned. The community once again gathered within these walls.
In the centuries that followed, the convent underwent transformations, changes in purpose, and new uses. With the unification of Italy and the end of the Papal States, like many religious buildings, it entered a new chapter. At one point, it even served as a Carabinieri barracks.
Today, Relais Convento Santa Croce welcomes its guests within walls that have witnessed over six centuries of history, embracing profound transformations and change. Yet what remains unchanged is the sense of peace and authentic wellbeing that surrounds those who choose to stay here.
mysterious and enchanted Valnerina
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Do not hesitate to get in touch with us to get more information. We will get back to you as soon as possible.ccording to the 17th century historian Ludovico Jacobilli, a Blessed Cristina lived here, a Franciscan tertiary, emulating the virtues of the homonymous saint who was martyred in the third century. "B. Cristina of S. Croce - writes Jacobilli - was of great holiness of the Third Order of Saint Francis. He died in Valliferio or Valle Narco di Spoleto on 10 March 1360 "(2). This Blessed is also mentioned in the Arbor Tertii Ordinis: the Irish historian Lukas Wadding recalls the Blessed Christina of S. Croce in his "Annals" (3). The complex interior underwent a radical makeover in the seventeenth century. An ecclesiastical document dated 5 April 1610 (pontificate of Paul V), signed by Giacomo Vaccaroni, canon and Lateran chamberlain, provides interesting information on the church and convent of S. Croce, which arose "in solo et fundo Lateranensi" (4). The Chapter of the Basilica of S. Giovanni in Laterano, adhering to a petition by Cesare Cardini, a native of S. Anatolia di Narco and "Roman procurator", grants with a formal deed the faculty to restore and restore in good condition ("in bonum et decentem statum reducere ") the church of S. Croce di Valdinarco, in order to allow some Franciscan friars to celebrate mass, confess and preach" for the benefit and health of the souls of that place and those around it ".
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rom these documented assertions it can be inferred that in the early 1600s the church of S. Croce was in a dilapidated condition and in a state of neglect. This document expresses the obligation for Cesare Cardini to provide at his own expense and with the patronage of Alessandro Borgia, bishop of Borgo S. The original of this document is currently kept by Renato Cardini, descendant of 4 Cesare Cardini. Sepulcher, the maintenance and conservation of this religious building. With the Chapter Act of 1610 the Lateran Basilica reserves the "usual jurisdiction" and all property rights on the assets and proceeds of the church of S. Croce, obliged to pay an annual perpetual census (one pound of white wax) . This document also provides for the fifteen-year renewal of this concession by the Lateran Chapter. In 1610 the jurisdictional and census dependence of the church of S. Croce in Valdinarco from the Lateran Basilica was therefore formalized. Finally, the aforementioned document expresses the obligation to affix the Lateran insignia on the outside above the church door and, on the inside, a commemorative plaque of this concession.In 1712 Mons. Giacinto Lascaris, bishop of Spoleto, made a pastoral visit to the church of S. Croce and to the convent community of the Minori Osservanti, still present in S. Anatolia5. There is no documented information on the historical events that led to the consecration of the church of S. Croce and the definitive closure of the annexed Franciscan convent: it is presumable that this took place after 1860 and the end of the Papal States, due to legislation. subversive of the new unitary state and the relative confiscation of many ecclesiastical assets, which have become patrimony of the public domain. The structure of the former convent was subsequently used, until a few decades ago, as the seat of the Carabinieri barracks. In 1979 the room of the former church of S. Croce was restored by the municipal administration of S. Anatolia di Narco and transformed into a conference room: this structure was named, with the provident initiative of the local administrators, to the brothers Campani, originally from Castel S. Felice (currently a hamlet of S. Anatolia di Narco) and who lived in Rome in the 1600s, renowned watchmakers, creators and manufacturers of precision optical instruments.