Giano dell'Umbria - Abbazia di San Felice

A legend tells, that where the abbey is, about 2 kms north of Giano dell'Umbria, Saint Felix (= San Felice), first bishop of Massa, had a small oratory built in the early 4th century. After he became a martyr during the Diocletianic Persecution, his followers buried the saint here. Probably already during the 8th century a convent existed around the tomb.

The church seen today dates to the 12th century. It got altered and enlarged during the 16th. The cross section of the original design, a basilica , can still be traced on the facade.

The statue in front honors Saint Gaspar del Bufalo, who in 1815 founded right here the society "Missionari del Preziosissimo Sangue" ("Missionaries of the Precious Blood").