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Church of Santa Maria di Cerignano in Cermenna
Santa Maria di Cerignano in Cermenna, dedicated to the Nativity of Mary, is nothing short of ancient. The hills on which the chapel stands once belonged to the Counts of Geremenna, a name that is still in use today as Cermenna. Scholar Onofrio Gargiulli suggests that the name derives from the Greek terms krèmnumai and krèmmena, meaning "steep mountain," which well describes the southern coastline of the municipality of Piano di Sorrento.
The chapel, now in a state of deplorable neglect, is accessed via a long staircase. It has a simple façade and a small bell tower dating back to the late 18th century. In place of an ancient painting, a small papier-mâché statue of the Madonna now stands on the polychrome altar. The interior arches are made of Vesuvian stone. An ancient fresco depicting Saint Anne was lost due to humidity, while the quadrangular marble holy water stoup was recently stolen by thieves.
Originally, the place of worship belonged to the Guardati family of Sorrento. In 1808, it passed to the Aiello family of Trinità, who later donated it to the local district. Beneath the chapel lies a hypogeum intended for burials, with its entrance—now sealed—located along the road. The presence of the hypogeum and the funerary cells reveal the Greco-Roman origins of the temple.
Given its proximity to the archaeological site of Trinità, this location was presumably considered sacred even in prehistoric times and was dedicated to the Great Mother of the Mediterranean, a deity venerated by coastal populations with whom the ancient Gaudo people had more or less frequent contact. This cult later transitioned to that of Ceres (Latin: Ceres, Cereris; Oscan: Kerri, Kerres, or Kerria), another maternal deity of the earth and fertility, guardian of crops and childbirth. The connection from Ceres to Cerignano is a short step.
Other scholars have hypothesized that the site was originally a temple dedicated to the nymph Carmenta, a deity of springs, who was believed to dwell in the nearby forest, close to a source of pure water. Years ago, within the precinct of the small temple, a marble frieze was discovered, depicting an amphora from which water flows. Thus, the spring emerges as a key element in the cult of the deity who, with the advent of the Catholic faith, was identified with the Virgin Mary, venerated in the place of the cerri (oak trees), of Ceres, or of Cerignano.
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