L’abbazia dei Ss. Ruffino e Vitale di Amandola e la questione delle cripte a corridoio nell’architettura altomedievale

The abbey dedicated to the saints Ruffino and Vitale, in the area of Amandola (in the province of Fermo), in the Marche region, is a remarkable example of Romanesque architecture dating to the 12th century. The present church, though, shelters a remarkable undercoft which predates the presently standing building. It consists of a crypt dating to the late 9th/early 10th century, whose painted wall decoration is still widely preserved. This crypt presents close similarities to other contemporary artifacts, such as the crypt of the abbot Epyphanius at the San Vincenzo al Volturno abbey (Molise) and that of San Marco dei Sabariani (Benevento). This study wishes to offer, for the first time, a comprehensive synopsis of these buildings as well as attempting to examine them in the perspective of their function.