Description of the attraction
The Temple of Santissima Trinita, also known as Montagna Spaccata, was erected in the 11th century over a crevice in a rocky cliff at the western end of Monte Orlando in Gaeta. According to legend, this crevice, which goes all the way to the Turkish Grotto, the Grotta del Turco, appeared on the day of Christ's death, when many mountains all over the world split. The second name of the temple - Montagna Spaccata - translated from Italian and means "The Broken Mountain".
Along the stairs, which leads to the very bosom of the mountain, above a narrow crack on the right you can see a Latin couplet, and from the side - the so-called "Turk's Hand" in the form of a human hand (five fingers imprinted in the rock). According to legend, it was formed at the moment when one unbelieving Turkish sailor, who did not believe in the story of the origin of Montaña Spakkat, leaned against a rock, which miraculously suddenly became loose and left an imprint of his hand on the wall.
In the temple of Santissima Trinita, numerous pontiffs prayed, among whom was Pope Pius IX, bishops and saints, including Bernardino da Siena, Ignatius Loyola, Leonardo da Porto Maurizio, Saint Paul of the Cross, Gaspare del Bufalo and Saint Filippo Neri. It is said that the latter even lived in one of the caves of Montaña Spaccata, where a stone bed has been preserved, now known as the "Lodge of St. Philip Neri."
In 1434, from the top of two rocky cliffs that gave the name to the place (Broken Mountain), a huge stone separated, which "sank" down and stuck between the two walls of the cleft. A small chapel dedicated to the Crucifixion was built on it, from the platform of which you can admire the breathtaking view. Not far from the chapel is the same Lodge of Philip Neri.
The current appearance of the temple of Santissima Trinita is the result of a restoration carried out in the 19th century. To the left of the church there is a descent to the Turkish Grotto, and nearby are the ancient Roman cisterns from the villa of Lucius Planca (the latter's mausoleum is nearby). To the right begins a covered corridor, on the walls of which you can see the stops of the Way of the Cross in ceramic-faced frames. At the very end of the corridor is a staircase that leads to a central crevice. It is there that the "Hand of the Turk" is located.
Today the Temple of Santissima Trinita is occupied by missionaries of the Pontifical Institute for Overseas Missions.
