San Pietro in Cesarano

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THE ORIGINS OF THE VILLA CESARANA
In the place where today stands the majestic building of San Pietro a Cesarano once stood a Villa Cesarana dating back to Roman times.
On this Villa Cesarana, in fact, since the first construction works of this isolated dwelling, started around 1652 and made to undertake by Father D. Michele Trabucco, founder of the Congregation of the Pii Operai fathers, numerous clues were found, such as clay vessels, of immense size, and tombs with corpses and urns of viri types, as well as in 1690, during the leveling work of part of the garden adjacent to the dwelling, three perfectly worked stone slabs were found, which in turn were lost or destroyed by the workers themselves; stable administration in the village prompted Cardinal Giovanni d'Aragona to e

In 1692 a marble statue of a calf was also found, a classic effigy of a pagan idol, which was promptly buried in a place considered to be narrow. Furthermore, during the same works, important materials came to light including lead channels that must have been part of a possible thermal plant existing in the Roman noble villa, pieces of marble with bas-relief figures, large and small marble basins, circular and elongated.
Other excavation works in the garden had brought to light solid foundations of a large building, which was to constitute the bathroom of the Roman villa, with evident divisions into sectors: hot bath, waiting room and area for the cold bath, in addition to the rounded remains of the tower that served as a boiler and some fragments of Roman mosaics. Everything leads us to think that more than a villa with an agricultural destination, it was destined to a prestigious urban villa owned by some personage of the Roman Abella.
Of this story, some scholars speak of a certain Calidius Epaphroditus, quaestor of the great Augustus, who would have founded this sumptuous villa, destined to welcome illustrious guests, and perhaps sometimes even Octavian, who as we know died in Nola in 14 BC;
Therefore, the Villa, with the passing of the centuries, followed the fate of the empire that had built it and therefore also the inevitable decline, but the same did not disappear completely, as rightly remained the robust foundations and the remains of the ancient walls some walls were built that supported the vaults of the religious building, the so-called Chiesa dei SS. Peter and Paul;

- THE ORIGINS OF THE CHURCH OF SS. PETER AND PAUL
On the same site, during the sixth century AD. C., a church was built dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul; the same dates back to at least 545, d. C., since on the wall behind the altar, in addition to the frescoes of SS. Pietro Paolo was imprinted with a date "June 12, 545", as reported by Father Somasco Gianstefano Remondini in his work "Della Nolana Ecclesiastica Storia" (1757); Therefore it is not known whether the date 12.06.545 indicated the date of foundation of the Chapel or of its Consecration. Some scholars favor the first hypothesis, assuming that its consecration took place in 1182, in the same days as the
3 - consecration of the Sanctuary of Montevergine.
It is thought to be a church of some importance as the sacred relics of saints were kept there and the signs of the Cross are still present in the middle of the pillars.
In addition, the writer Antonio Iamalio, in the works of the "life of PD Trabucco", writes that the aforementioned church, at the beginning of the seventeenth century, served as the "grancia of the Mugnanese parish and was guarded by a hermit, and very popular on Friday in March and of Lent by a large number of devotees, who went to kiss the walls, as was customary in the churches that kept the relics of SS. Martyrs and in May and September it was frequented by pilgrims from Montevergine ”.
Therefore, it also carried out a small agricultural production for the benefit of the parish of Mugnano del Cardinale and also constituted an important refreshment point, not only spiritual, for the numerous pilgrims who went to the sanctuary of Montevergine.
From all this, from the many centuries since its foundation and after having gone through numerous reconstructions, having endured several earthquakes and having experienced who knows what events during the medieval period, it was reduced to ruins. All this reported and is testified by the many pastoral visits of the Bishop of Nola (year 1561 - 1615).

- THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HERMITAGE OF S. PIETRO IN CESARANO
Father D. Miche Trabucco, (born in Naples on 08.10.1603), after having studied philosophy and theology in the great College of the Society of Jesus in Naples, in 1622 entered the Congregation of the Pij Operaj Fathers of the house of S. Maria delli Monti founded by Father D. Carlo Carafa, his relative.
Armed by his strong vocation as a Missionary, after some adversity received in Naples, he presented himself to the Bishop of Nola, then Mons. Lancellotti, asking him to Missionary in the diocese of Nola.
4 - On 12 January 1637 it was assigned to Mugnano del Cardinale, who was welcomed with great sympathy by the people of Mugnano del C. and who four years later founded that monastery which in the following centuries had so much importance.
Then, with the donation instrument, Father D. Michele Trabucco received the so-called Church of S. Pietro in Cesarano, with all the accessories and collateral appliances, plus a contribution of 25 ducats, for the maintenance of the unborn religious family, on condition that built there, the Cenobio (religious community or monastery), at its own expense and in no more than four years established a Congregation of Secular Priests which would instruct the youth of Mugnano free of charge in every discipline and which would provide the most complete satisfaction of spiritual needs. This deed of donation was drawn up on 04 September 1641, by the Notary Pietro Paolo di Gennaro da Mugnano; present were Fr Domenico Jogoli, Vicar General of the Bishop of Nola (Mons. Giambattista Lancellotti) and the Parish Priest Fr Tommaso di Gennaro, for the sale of the Church of SS. Pietro e Paolo, also known as "San Pietro a Cesarano", for the Municipality of Mugnano del Cardinale - (Universitas), which sold some buildings and adjacent land, and the elected Ettore Pecchia and Rinaldo di Gennaro were present.
Father Trabucco immediately took possession of the small church and immediately began to build the hermitage, but the mendicant religious of Taurano and Avella resorted to the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars in Rome to invalidate the donation and prevent the new religious congregation of the Fathers from being built. Pii Workers of the solitude of St. Peter in Cesarano.
The appeal was first accepted, but then it was promptly abrogated by the Bishop.
Thus the Cenobio was enriched with sacred and classical texts. Two oratories were established, one dedicated to the Congrega dell'Assunta and attended by about two hundred people, another to the Infant Jesus, for the children and young people of Mugnano.
5 - Father Trabucco alone died on January 15, 1677 and was buried in the crypt of the Church of San Pietro in Cesarano.
He was succeeded by Father D. Gennaro Guerriero who in 1663 oversaw the 2nd restoration of the Church, then Father D. Tommaso Teodoro Bianco, then followed by Father D. Giuseppe Pecchia, then Father D. Paolo d'Ippolito, but who was the greatest pride of the his rectorate, was Father D. Luca di Gennaro, who then held for 40 years because he was elected for the first time at the age of only 27 in 1692, who completed the work in 1700, and the building endowed it with excellent rooms, for novices, for masters, loggia, etc.
A Neapolitan layman "GIUSEPPE BUONOPANE" joined the congregation in 1698, who donated most of his properties to the same congregation and thanks to these income the Missionary fathers managed not only to enlarge the building but also to help poor populations.
- REBUILDING OF THE CHURCH
In 1719, he had the offices and the Administration of the Sacraments transported to the small church of the Oratory of the Assumption of Mary, he had the ancient and dilapidated church demolished and the old bell was recovered from the crumbling bell tower only a few moments that it would ruin to the ground.
Thus began the construction of the new Church. This was built on a design by the architect. Neapolitan Antonio Guidetti, (the same who in 1715, in Naples built the Church of the Conservatory of the Poor of Jesus Christ, dedicated to S. Maria Colonna in Piazza Gerolomini), completed and embellished with white stucco in 1722 and solemnly consecrated on 06 July 1727 , by the Bishop of Nola Msgr. Francesco Maria Carafa. (Late Baroque style)
The construction work of the entire building continued with the arrangement of the gardens, and of the land annexed to the building.

- END OF DESTINATION IN CENOBIO
The Cenobio di S. Pietro in Cesarano then began to gradually decline, in fact, after 220 years of beneficial and industrious life it was forced to close its doors, so the monastery was about to pass to the state property, right art. 15 of the regulation of 22.09.1862, promulgated with the Royal Decree of 17.02.1861, for the suppression of the pious workers.

- S. PIETRO'S GYM IN CESARANO
Following the dissolution of the monastery due to the aforementioned Decree of 17.02.1861, it was redeemed by the Municipality for the interest of Senator Giuseppe Rega and the Mayor Antonio Stingone and therefore the property was returned to the Municipality with Royal Decree issued in Florence on 13.06. 1868, with the obligation to use it for educational purposes.
The didactic activity, therefore, continued and the ancient Cenobio became the Gymnasium.
Subsequently, on 02.11.1873, it was entitled "GINNASIO A. MANZONI".
- TRANSFER TO THE BISHOP'S CURIA OF AVERSA
San Pietro a Cesarano was sold to the Episcopal canteen of Aversa by resolution of the Cardinal's Municipality of Mugnano on 14.06.1969, n ° 8; Contractors: The Bishop of Aversa Msgr. Antonio Cece and the Mayor of Mugnano del Cardinale dott. Girolamo Bianco as legal representative, at a price of £ 10,000,000;
The years between 1964 (closure of the Institute) and 1969, (year of the alienation), the majestic building was stripped and robbed of all furnishings, books, paintings and more.
Later it was also damaged by the seismic events of 1980 - 1981.
TODAY IT IS CALLED “JOHN PAUL II PASTORAL CENTER”.