Bivongi

Bivongi, lying on the western flank of Consolino, is almost protected by the wooded slopes of the mountain. As early as 1050 the center, known in Byzantine documents as Bobònges, consisted of several settlements in the oldest of which, Mangioni, stood the church and monastery of St. Nicholas, and those of Abatìa and Casale, where the church of the Holy Spirit, which existed until a few decades ago, was located. In this area rises the present historic city center, marked by the charming web of narrow streets that climb to the upper part, some of them so narrow and bristling that they are not driveable. With the advent of the Normans and the establishment of the immense fiefdom of the Charterhouse of Saints Stephen and Brunone del Bosco, Bubungi became a hamlet of it along with its numerous monasteries and the Norman grange of Santi Apostoli. Its territory, very rich in water and woods, also soon proved important for the presence of silver deposits mixed with lead. Except for a few interesting eighteenth- and nineteenth-century mansions, much of the artistic heritage was represented by the two important churches, now almost completely destroyed. The Mother Church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist Decollate, of ancient foundation but completely rebuilt after the great earthquake of 1783, remains surviving. The elegant 18th-century facade, softened by granite stone profiling, has a three-nave layout with a wide transept and a central apse. The interior was decorated by workers from Serra San Bruno to whom we certainly owe the extension project as well. Although it has been darkened by modern paving, as well as repainted without regard to the ancient pictorial decorations, the church still presents its solemn late Baroque layout, culminating in the marble machine of the high altar, in eighteenth-century Serra marbles, surmounted by the stucco pediment where the wooden statue of the titular saint is housed. In the left transept, on the altar houses the splendid statue of the Immaculate Conception, a masterpiece of the Neapolitan Giuseppe Picano attributed to him by the writer also thanks to the discovery of the deed of payment dating back to 1782. In addition to the 18th-century wooden statues of St. Nicholas and St. Anthony, also from the Neapolitan area, there is a monumental St. Joseph, carved in wood by Vincenzo Scrivo of Serra San Bruno in the late 18th century. In a special chapel is preserved the picture of Mary Most Holy Mamma Nostra – a singular as well as rare Marian appellation – whose miraculous events and constant interventions in favor of the Bivongesi, sometimes hovering between historical narrative and a fascinating legend, eloquently motivate the affection of this people and the singular cult they pay to her, to the point that Bivongi is given the sweet appellation of “Mamma Nostra’s Country.” For the processional rites an expressive wooden statue was commissioned in Naples in the first half of the 18th century, enriched in the following century by the sumptuous gilded wooden processional base. The ensemble constitutes a unicum in the history of Calabrian art, of solemn appearance and great beauty. Every year on the second Sunday in September the patron saint’s feast takes place, but the celebration most heartfelt by the people of Bivong and the entire district is that of February 5, known as “the Feast of Vows,” to commemorate the intervention of the Protectress during the great scourge of 1783. Also well known is the monastery of St. John Theristis old, which housed a community of monks from Mount Athos among its austere Norman vestiges and is now officiated by a community of Romanian Orthodox monks. The hard-working Bivongese community, famous for its hospitality, excellent wine and good food, has invested heavily in the enhancement of its environmental heritage, especially on the famous Marmarico waterfalls, a 120-meter drop that the Stilaro makes in the heart of the mountain. The impervious but evocative place attracts a large number of tourists and enthusiasts, especially in summer when the small pools of water formed by the rapids become crystal-clear, icy pools in which to bathe.