Abbey of Santa Maria alle Moje

The abbey church of Santa Maria delle Moje, now completely absorbed into the small town of Moie, once stood outside the urban centre. The monument’s origins are chronologically uncertain (the first document mentioning the abbey of Moie dates from the year 1201); certain, on the other hand, is its structural kinship with the abbey churches of San Vittore alle Chiuse at Genga, Santa Croce dei Conti at Sassoferrato and San Claudio at Piè Chienti. Some scholars place the construction of the Moie abbey church at the beginning, or at any rate within the first half, of the 12th century, with probable Cistercian intrusions or influences. Others propose, on the contrary, a building sequence that runs from San Vittore at Genga (1070-1080) to Santa Croce at Sassoferrato (1090-1100) and to Santa Maria delle Moie (1100-1110). The three monuments, which moreover stand within a relatively limited territory, would suggest a certain continuity of design, if not of architecture: starting from the local prototype represented by San Vittore alle Chiuse, once the work at Genga was completed, the scheme moved to Sassoferrato and then, once the commission for the lords of Sassoferrato had been fulfilled, migrated to Moie (three monuments resulting from patronage which, although in different local situations – it was in fact the Counts of Sassoferrato, and not a monastic institution, who had the church built – is expressed in a similar architectural layout, and also in the fact that all three are abbey churches, that is, run by monastic institutions). While in plan the three churches (together with the more distant San Claudio al Chienti) are treated in a similar way, there remain notable differences between Moie, San Vittore and Santa Croce, both in the masonry and in the architectural result of the elevation. Santa Maria delle Moie does not have a central plan (see photo plan): at the crossing of the nave and the side apsidioles it lacks the tiburio or central dome that characterises the other two monuments [1]; instead it has a basilican plan with three aisles, the central one being higher and wider. The former presence of two façade towers would also be a feature shared with Santa Croce dei Conti and San Vittore (unfortunately only the abbey church at Genga preserves its two façade towers, one round and the other square; Santa Maria delle Moie preserves only their lower parts, while at Santa Croce the foundations of a circular structure in front of the church’s entrance portal survive). The massive structure of this building is emphasised both by the two monumental buttresses flanking the apses on the long sides and by the “spurs” that project in the area of the eastern apses. The original façade of the church is concealed by a rather large atrium structure. Originally, two square towers must have flanked the opening with a large round arch that precedes the portal proper. The present plan of the church of Santa Maria delle Moie is the result of the restoration of 1919-1924, which recomposed what were probably the original forms. In the opinion of scholars, Santa Maria delle Moie may have been built in a relatively short time, given the homogeneity of its forms, which show no significant change of style. The elevation has, however, undergone major alterations in various periods: some windows have been modified, others walled up, and in the Baroque period new doors were added (besides the west portal, the original entrances from outside must have been two doors facing each other on the north and south sides; another door then led into the south stair tower). But it is the western block that has suffered the greatest alterations. The reduction of the western forebuilding, with the partial demolition of the towers and the rebuilding in brick of the upper storeys, which also altered the old women’s gallery, is the work of the 16th century. The present west area consists of a pseudo-Westwerk set in front of the façade, with a gallery open towards the interior of the church. More or less at the level of the side aisles rise the remains of the two towers, with a cross-vaulted atrium between them, entered through a large round arch. Two doors open on the inner north and south sides of this atrium: the north one leads into a barrel-vaulted room with a spiral staircase giving access to the bell tower, while from the south one enters a small room, now used as the parish office, covered with cross vaults resting on four carved corner capitals of white limestone and lit by two slit windows, a clue that suggests a more military than religious function for this part of the building. The lower outer wall of the atrium is built in a manner similar to the north long side of the church (up to the first level of the elevation). Traces of pilaster strips are present on the sides and next to the entrance arch of the atrium. The two upper storeys of the entire western forebuilding are of brick. The building is oriented with its façade to the west and its apse area to the east. In addition to the three apses to the east (see photo apse area), there are two others, positioned more or less centrally on each of the north and south flanks (these two side apsidioles have roofs lower than the eaves of the side aisles into which they are set); each is flanked by two powerful square buttresses. As regards the building material used for the north flank, a certain uniformity can be observed: it consists of squared ochre-coloured stones (yellow sandstone), laid with little mortar. Unlike the apses of the eastern area, which today appear almost entirely devoid of any decoration or colour effect, the two apsidioles on the north and south long sides have a decoration consisting of the classic motif of blind arcading, which also appears along the eaves on this side of the building. On the north aisle (see photo north flank 1), the motif of composite rampant Lombard arches in white travertine runs along the whole of the eaves, except at two points where the arcading was interrupted to open two single-light windows. The same motif appears on the upper parts of the apse on this flank, where two half-columns of ochre sandstone on torus bases, with plain white stone capitals, articulate the rounded surface (see photo north flank 2). Here, as in the opposite apsidiole on the south flank, there is a large single-light window, again with an outer arch of travertine voussoirs (this window is larger than the two in the elevation of the nave). The crowning of the nave along the north flank also has the same decoration of white travertine arches, with two small splayed windows (in this case the Lombard arch exactly encloses the window opening). The eaves of the south side of the nave have not preserved the decoration of hanging arches, which has instead survived along the eaves of the aisle (see photo south flank). The apse area proper has three apses differing in both height and depth, whose wall facing is completely devoid of decoration, except for a single-light window in the centre of each apse. Spur buttresses, rising to the height of the main apse, separate it from the two side apsidioles. Above the central apse rises a gabled front higher than the roof of the nave. Of the three present apses, the south one seems to be the oldest, while the other two may be the result of restoration. The church’s entrance portal is remarkable (see photo portal): a great arch of alternating white and brown voussoirs sets off the portal proper with its three mouldings. The outermost of these is supported by neither columns nor corbels and springs from a white stone carved with ribbon interlace and a plait motif; the decoration then unfolds in a leafy scroll that ends on the opposite side with another stone carved with simple ribbon interlace. Two smooth half-columns, topped by small capitals decorated with leaves and volutes, support the second moulding, which is semicylindrical and undecorated. Finally, the innermost moulding, supported by jambs carved with the usual motifs of flowers and volutes, is decorated with fine leaf motifs. The lunette above the door is of plain exposed stone. INTERIOR The interior is undecorated, rather dim and massive in its volumes (length 15.40 metres, width 14.40 metres); it is divided by four massive cruciform piers into nine bays (the six side bays covered by cross vaults, while the three central ones, about three metres higher, have slightly pointed barrel vaults – another early example of a pointed vault, as in the church of Sant’Urbano all’Esinante), with two-coloured transverse mouldings. The main apse, lacking sculptural decoration, is nevertheless embellished by a double moulding of alternating white and ochre voussoirs. In the two minor apses of the presbytery area, at the springing of the apse conch, in the two outermost sections, there is a terracotta cornice of panels decorated with geometric motifs. Three narrow splayed single-light windows open in the centre of the apse hemicycles; in the inner splay are set small columns with small decorated capitals supporting the moulding of the arch. In the lunette above the two minor portals (both of which formerly gave access to the towers), the absence of voussoirs creates the design of a deep cross. [1] at Santa Croce the remains of this structure were found only recently