The troubled birth of the Clausura Monastery and St Joseph's Church
Giambattista Rossi - The Holy Parish priest of Ripacandida
Baroque portal of Church of San Giuseppe (1700)Comune di Ripacandida
The first traces of st. Joseph's Church date back to 1173 and it is commonly called the Church of the Nuns because it is attached to the Monastery of Clausura of Carmelite
made by Don Giambattista Rossi, priest in smell of Sainthood originating in Ripacandida
Sacred paraments (1700)Comune di Ripacandida
Giambattista Rossi was born in Ripacandida on March 10, 1690 and not yet 17 years old entered the novitiate of the Carmelitani Scalzi of St. Teresa in Chiaia; after a few weeks he was discharged for strong short-sightedness, but this was not enough to make him desist from his vocation.
Sacred paraments and the statue of sorrowful (1700)Comune di Ripacandida
He returned to Ripacandida where he persevered strongly and at the age of 23 became a priest.
In 1721 he was appointed Archpriest and founded, in his maternal home, a Conservatory that later became a Monastery of Clausura in the spirit of St. Teresa d'Avila
Entry ex-monastery of the scald carmelites (1700)Comune di Ripacandida
On October 15, 1735 (the anniversary of St. Teresa d'Avila) Don Giambattista Rossi inaugurated the Conservatory dedicated to St. Joseph, with the intention of welcoming unmarried girls who were exposed to serious danger; but the real goal was to establish a cloistered monastery, but why this happened, a Papal Decree was needed that was issued on December 14, 1737
Church of Santa Maria Del Sepolcro (1746) by Vescovo G. V. Acquaviva d'AragonaComune di Ripacandida
But the Bishop of the Diocese of Melfi, Mons. Gatta didn't want to apply the Papal Decree if the garden hadn't been built before. Then Don Giambattista Rossi had to buy the neighboring houses in order to be able to tear them down and build the garden of the convent, in order to guarantee the minimum conditions for confidentiality, a fundamental requirement for the cloister.
On October 25, 1746, at the age of 56, Don Giambattista Rossi died, without being able to see his work completed, which was officially recognized with a Papal Bubble in 1747
Fresco of Suor Maria di GesùComune di Ripacandida
In the monastery, the Prior Sister Maria Araneo of Jesus, who died in the concept of Holiness, was referred to by characters of deep spirituality and among them St. Gerardo Maiella and St. Alfonso of the Liguors.
Fabulous canvas of Santa Teresa D’Avila (1752) by Gaetano AstaritaComune di Ripacandida
Inside the church, above the main altar, stands majestic work manufacturer of Astarita, dated 1750 and depicting The Madonna with child sitting on a cloud, between St. Teresa and St. Joseph on the left and lower right, kneeling with open arms, St. Francis Xavier.
In the bezel is depicted the Trinity, with the Eternal blessing, Jesus sitting on a cloud and the Dove of the Holy Spirit.
Credit: Daniele Gioiosa
