HRH Princess Elisabetta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Requiescat in Pace

Her Royal Highness Princess Elisabetta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duchess of Württemberg

Dame Grand Cross of Justice of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George

February 2, 1933 - January 29, 2022

Requiescat in pace

It is with much sorrow that we ask you in your charity to pray for the repose of the soul of Her Royal Highness, Princess Elisabetta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duchess of Württemberg, who entered Eternal Life on Saturday, January 29, 2022 at the age of 88.

Princess Elisabetta, the widow of H.R.H. Prince Antonio of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1929-2019), was received as a Dame Grand Cross of the Constantinian Order on March 27, 1958.

Her Royal Highness was born the Princess Royal of Württemberg, as the daughter of H.R.H. Prince Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg, and H.R.H. Archduchess Rosa of Habspburg-Lorraine, Princess of Tuscany, Archduchess of Austria.

We express our sincere condolences to our Grand Master, H.R.H. Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, and the entire Royal House, especially Princess Elisabetta's children: T.R.H. Prince Francesco, Princess Maria Carolina, Prince Gennaro and Princess Maria Annunziata, of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. May her soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

IHSV

Source: Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George - US Delegation

Photo of the Week: Palazzo Reale di Napoli

Photo by Andrew Giordano

The Francone Princes of Ripabottoni in the Contado di Molise

A new and unique study of the Neapolitan nobility and Molise has been published by researcher Gabriella Paduano and parish priest Don Gabriele Tamilia: I Principi Francone nel Contado di Molise, with a preface by the Bishop of Trivento Mons. Claudio Palumbo and Dr. Francesca Carnevale of the University of Molise. This book, rich in fresh research and analysis offers an engaging new look at the intersection of the grand Southern nobility, eighteenth century art patronage, local genius and creativity and education in the Molise region, and the centuries long rapport not only between the princely Francone family which greatly loved the land of Ripabottoni, but also the complex and cyclical relationship between the Molisan province and the capital Naples. Scholars, specialists and laymen alike will enjoy this well documented work, with thorough bibliographical notes and many original photographs and copies of documents.

Il principe Paolo Francone

Paduano and Tamilia take the reader deep into the origins of this vanishing world and the men and women of the Kingdom of Naples and later the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, who left a lasting mark in Italian history. Since the unification of Italy, the ancient Contado di Molise has unfortunately been relegated to the status of a little known rural region, picturesque and full of millennia of antiquities, but which suffered from depopulation and little investment. Indeed the region was quickly placed into the Abruzzo region and was later made its own region in 1963. Ironically, the region has become appreciated mainly by foreign tourists and some returning emigrants and expats who have begun to reinvest in it. Within this largely unknown region, features the Terra di Ripa, the “Land of Ripa," which has become even less known to outsiders. Equally ironic, given the small territory has produced per capita more numerous notable people than larger areas. It has produced not only members of one of the greatest noble families in Italy, but also great scholars, artists, poets, and doctors such as Cav. Pietro Ramaglia, one of the court physicians to King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies. Its artists and artisans were frequently in demand in the city of Naples to decorate the great townhouses and villas of prominent Neapolitans. Its merchants and laborers built great fortunes in the Americas.

Cardinale Tommaso Ruffo

Ripabottoni, whose name has changed over the centuries (in former times it was variously referred to as “Ripa Gottorum,” “Ripalibottuni,” and “Ripabrettone” 1), often simply referred to as “Ripa,” is a small town in the modern province of Campobasso, Molise. Ripa was for millennia a commercial center and crossroads of transhumance and numerous ancient fairs such as the horse-trading fair. The town and surrounding country fiefdom passed to the Francone family, who so loved it and invested in it and its people, renamed it Ripafrancone and obtained royal approval to elevate it from a marquisate to a principality and to have their predicate title changed to “Princes of Ripafrancone.” This was no mere act of vanity. It solidified the noble family’s dedication to the well-being of the town, fostering charity, patronage and opportunity for the area. The fiefdom previously belonged to the Castropignano, Avalerio, di Capua, Carafa and Acquaviva families, who over the centuries fortified the area and curated its industries, including grain trading, horse trading, silk works and several private schools and school masters.

Ritratto di mons. G.A. Tria,
Vescovo di Larino

The Francone are one of the oldest families of the Neapolitan nobility and were members of the Seggio di Montagna in Naples, traditionally the Seggio of the provincial lords (the noble Seggi being the ancient Parliament of the Kingdom). Indeed, the Seggio was formerly known as the Seat of Francone because it convened in their palace. The roots of the Francone are lost in time, and one genealogy ascribes their descent from a Gaulish king around the year 500. In any case they were clearly prominent consistently since the 1300s and have intermarried with the most prominent families in the Kingdom of Naples and some from abroad. In the 1400s Oliviero Francone, the Baron of Taurisano, was one of King Ladislao of Durazzo’s generals and his sister Andronica was the wife of Skanderbeg. Gian Giacomo Dell’Acaya, the Engineer General of the Kingdom under Emperor Charles V was a Francone via his mother Maria Francone. 

Francesco Solimena, “San Michele Arcangelo”,
Chiesa di S. Maria Assunta, Ripabottoni (Cb)

The Francone held feudal possessions in Salcito, Torella del Sannio and Pietracupa as well as Ripa and maintained a palace in Naples. The Francone were loyal to the cadet branch of the House of Anjou and their ancestors are well documented since the 1300s.  As other great feudal families in the Molise region fell into decline, others such as the Francone expanded and acquired more feudal lands. The branch of the Francone which were affirmed barons in the Terra d’Otranto, settled in Molise in the 1600s and dominated Ripa. Francesco Francone sought to reside mostly in Salcito and establish a baronial court life focused in Molise rather than Naples. Francesco later amplified the ancient baronial castle of Ripa into a modernized palace which became the princely seat of the family in the Molise countryside. His first born son Don Paolo Francone became his heir and the Prince of Ripa in 1742 and resided there with his wife Ippolita Ruffo di Bagnara e Castelcicala, of the famous noble Calabrian family which produced two well-known cardinals and which played a major role in the Kingdom for generations. Four of their ten children were born in Ripa. Tommaso Maria Francone became Bishop of Umbriatico and Archbishop of Manfredonia, and his son Giuseppe Antonio Francone became Minister of the Order of Malta. Gennaro Clemente Francone served as bishop in Cosenza, Gaeta and Troja.

Mons. Gennaro Clemente Francone,
Arcivescovo, prima di Cosenza,
poi di Gaeta, infine di Troia

Paolo Francone was known to be a free-spirited young man with a taste for luxury, but he was a gifted intellectual who went on to pursue poetry, theology and philosophy and charitable and entrepreneurial work. He published his own lyrical poetry and translated Descartes’s works from French. He personally frequented the philosopher Giambattista Vico and Saint Alfonso Maria de’ Liguori. He also oversaw archeological digs in Ripa and environs.

Prince Paolo and Princess Ippolita had a particular devotion to Saint Michael and sponsored paintings of the Saint and a chapel and hermitage dedicated to Saint Michael Archangel outside the town of Ripa (devotion to Saint Michael has deep roots in the Molise and overlapping Capitanata region of Puglia). The also build a chapel to Saint James. With Monsignor Tria they also established a small monastery of nuns in Ripa. The relic of Saint Rocco, co-patron of Ripa, in the main Church of Santa Maria Assunta, was likewise donated by Prince Paolo. Don Giacomo Francone, the titular Bishop of Sidon (Lebanon), who resided in the Palazzo Francone in Ripa authenticated the relics of Saint Faustus, Saint Venerandus and Saint Modestus which are all contained in the Church built by Prince Paolo.

Mons. Tommaso Francone,
dipinto conservato nel Museo
Diocesano di Manfredonia (Fg)

Paduano and Tamilia take the reader back in time through an examination of Prince Paolo Francone, one of the greatest exponents of the family. A published poet and devout Catholic, Prince Paolo and his wife Ippolita Ruffo di Bagnara e Castelcicala built the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, which was designed by his friend Ferdinando Sanfelice, also a member of the old Neapolitan-Molisan nobility. Prince Paolo and Sanfelice were also friends with Mons. Giovanni Andrea Tria, who authored the noted work Memorie storiche civili, ed ecclesiastiche della Città e Diocesi di Larino published in Rome in 1754. The Prince brought native Ripese artist Paolo Gamba into contact with the famed studio of the great Solimena, and Gamba lovingly decorated the new Church in Ripa. In fact, Don Paolo and his friend Ferdinando Sanfelice studied painting under Francesco Solimena when they were boys.

Sadly after centuries of glory, the Francone family became extinct after Giovanni Francone, the last Prince died, and survived indirectly in its last heirs, the Caracciolo di Torchiarolo family as the estates and titles passed to his nephew, the son of his sister Maria Imara. With the advent of modernity and evolving economic and political pressures upon the old nobility, the property and estates in Ripa were put up for auction in 1844 on the eve of Italian unification. Within a few decades much of the real estate was purchased by emergent bourgeois families, including the ancient baronial palace itself in Ripa. In the new environment patronage of the arts and schools ceased and courtly life and commerce disappeared, relegating the region to rural obscurity and increasing poverty. The two chapels built by the Francone were destroyed, and as occurred in many places, the territory witnessed armed clashes between royalists and Garibaldi supporters during the Piedmontese occupation, and the first mass emigration to large cities as well as to foreign countries began.

Corpo di San Crescenzo, chiesa Santa Maria Assunta, Ripabottoni (Cb)

This is truly an unicum in studies which offer a window into the true history of the Molise region and its rapport with the greater world. Making this work yet more compelling is the fact that is the product of thousands of hours of research conducted in person by Paduano and Tamilia not only in Ripabottoni, but also in the state and diocesan archives in Larino, Campobasso and Naples, at their own expense without any commission or sponsorship to do so. It is an act of love for their native land and the culture and faith that have sustained it for centuries. This dynamic team has presented their work in Ripabottoni on July 17, 2021 in the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, fittingly given the important works created by Paolo Gamba and other native artists under the patronage of the Francone, was to present the book in the Maschio Angioino in Naples in January 2022, but had to postpone due to pandemic conditions. The two are looking forward holding such a ceremony later in 2022. This work is an invitation to revisit and rediscover a heritage and legacy which was suppressed and obfuscated for such a long time.

About the Authors:

Gabriella Paduano was born in Molise in Termoli (CB) in 1976, after graduating high school she earned a degree in Modern Letters with a major in art history at the Università G. D’ Annunzio di Chieti. The subject of her degree thesis was  La pittura del 500 nel Molise [“Sixteenth Century painting in Molise”], her adviser was the well-known art historian Prof. Daniele Benati.

She is a specialist in the management of cultural heritage, through a masters degree, of the European Union and Molise Region.

She has worked for a communications firm with various responsibilities, and was a journalist at the  Il Tempo newspaper, and as a museum operator at the Museo del Quadrilatero in San Salvo, the Museo delle Genti di Abruzzo, the Museo di Arte Contemporanea Macte in Termoli.

An expert on local history and the art of her own region, she was also a guide for artistic itineraries in Molise and Abruzzo, she also has organized cultural events, such as the Gaeta sea fair I Sanniti e il mare [“The Samnites and the Sea”] nel 2016 and San Rocco in Arte [“Saint Rocco in Art”] in Ripabottoni in 2021. She has also participated in dialect poetry contests, having won first place. 

She currently teaches Italian language and literature.

In 2021 she published with Don Gabriele Tamilia the history book I Principi Francone nel Contado di Molise, Campobasso, Palladino Editore.

She is preparing with Don Gabriele Tamila, the publication of a book on a key figure in the history of Italian medicine, Cav. Dr Pietro Ramaglia  (Ripabottoni 1802-Napoli 1875), a doctor at the Bourbon court, clinician at the Ospedale degli Incurabili in Naples, and founder of topographic anatomy.

She is also organizing a museum at the Parish of  Santa Maria Assunta in Ripabottoni and a photographic exhibit in the Cappuccilli palace of Ripabottoni.

Don Gabriele Tamilia was born in Ripabottoni (Campobasso) 10 February 1943, and was ordained a priest in the Church of S. Maria Assunta in Ripabottoni 3 August 1968 by Archbishop Loris Capovilla, Secretary of Pope John XXIII. 

He is pastor of the parishes of Provvidenti, Casacalenda, Morrone del Sannio and Ripabottoni; rector of the diocesan Santuario della Madonna della Difesa in Casacalenda; and regional assistant for Abruzzo and Molise of Azione Cattolica and of the Professori Cattolici del Molise. 

He teaches history, philosophy, psychology and pedagogy, Italian, Latin, and geography in the state high schools. He is Professor of Philosophy and Theology in the Istituto di Scienze Religiose of the Dioceses of Termoli-Larino and of Campobasso; and Professor of Theology in the Department of Medicine and Surgery of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore “Agostino Gemelli.” 

Fr. Tamilia is also the founder and director of the bulletin “L’Informatore Parrocchiale;” founder, president and editorial director of the television broadcast which serves Molise and part of Abruzzo; and freelance journalist of the Ordine Nazionale dei Giornalisti del Molise.

His religious oriented hobbies are: founder and director of a folkloristic group, of a polyphonic choir with a small orchestra, author and director of theater plays.

~ By Cav. Charles Sant’Elia

Notes:

1 Several other variations exist as well, and much has been written about the descriptive designations added to “Ripa”. It appears to have been first mentioned in the famous Norman catalogue of territories and other documents from the 1100s. The area has yielded Greek and Roman artifacts and was continuously inhabited for millennia.

Essential Bibliography/Further Reading

Gabriella Paduano and Gabriele Tamilia, I Principi Francone nel Contado di Molise, Ripalimosani, Editrice Lampo, 2021

The Bronze Doors of the Maschio Angioino

Detail from the Battle of Accadia showing King Ferrante with his knights
Photos by New York Scugnizzo

The bronze doors at the main portal of the Maschio Angioino (Angevin Keep)[1] in Naples chronicle the victory of King Ferrante d’Aragona (Ferdinand I of Naples) over Jean d’Anjou, Duke of Lorraine, and the rebel barons in 1462. Adorned with decorative frames and medallions, the detailed bas-relief panels depict the war’s most significant battles.

Ferrante is ambushed at Calvi

The "Mars-mighty" King and his attendants fight off the attackers

The door's top two panels recount the failed attempt on Ferrante’s life by the traitorous Prince Marino Marzano and his henchmen at Calvi. The assassins escaped, but their poisoned dagger was discovered. Inscriptions in Latin read: “The prince with Jacopo and the deceitful Deifobo; they simulate a conference so that the king may be slain” and “The Mars-mighty king, more spirited than famous Hector, probed with his shining blade, that the plot might perish.”[2]

The Battle at Accadia

Ferrante is victorious and the Angevin take flight

The middle scenes show the Aragonese victory over the Angevins at the Battle at Accadia in Puglia accompanied by the text “The Trojan Ferrante conquered the enemy in the field as Caesar conquered Pompey at Oechalia.” [ibid]

The Battle at Troia

Ferrante's triumphal entry into Troia

The bottom panels depict the Battle at Troia in Puglia and concludes with the inscription: “Troia gave rest to our side, and an end to the labor, in which place the enemy shed much blood and was routed.” [ibid]

The original doors can be found inside the Museo Civico di Castel Nuovo

The original bronze doors made by Guglielmo Lo Monaco circa 1474-75 can be found inside the Museo Civico di Castel Nuovo in Naples. Curiously, an iron canon-ball is embedded in the bottom left panel. 

Decorative device with ermine and Ferrante's motto Probanda,
meaning tried, tested, approved or most worthy [ibid]

Apparently after the sack of Naples in 1495 by King Charles VIII of France, the doors were hauled off as booty. During the return march through hostile territories, the French were set upon by the Holy League, a multi-state alliance formed by Pope Alexander VI to counter French ascendancy in Italy. Though Charles and the bulk of his army were able to escape, his ships laden with the spoils of war were captured off the coast of Genoa and the damaged doors were returned to Naples.[3]

Two examples of the ornamental motifs that adorn the frames

Maschio Angioino, or Angevin Keep (also called Castel Nuovo), Napoli

~ Giovanni di Napoli, January 13, Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Bibliography/Notes: 

[1] The Maschio Angioino, also known as the Castel Nuovo (New Castle), is a Medieval castle founded in 1279 by King Charles of Anjou (Charles I of Naples). The Aragonese triumphal arch and cenotaph were added in the fifteenth century by King Alfonso the Magnanimous (Alfonso I of Naples, Alfonso V of Aragon and Sicily). It is located next to the port in Naples.

[2] Collecting Art in the Italian Renaissance Court: Objects and Exchanges, Leah R. Clark, Cambridge University Press, 2018

[3] Bronze Door, Comune.napoli.it

Further Reading:

• The Aragonese Arch at Naples, 1443-1475, George L. Hersey, Yale University Press, 1973

Photo of the Week: San Paolo on the Facade of the Basilica di Santa Lucia a Mare in Napoli

Photo by Andrew Giordano

A Look at the Third Annual King Louis XVI of France Memorial Dinner

Revelers with flags of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies

Domine salvum fac Regem et exaudi nos in die qua invocaverimus te. Gloria Patri et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio et nunc et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.[1]

Portrait of King Louis XVI of France

For the third year in a row, members and friends of the Fratelli della Santa Fede (Sanfedisti for short) broke bread in memory of His Majesty Louis XVI, King of France and Navarre. Like last year, our fête was held at Joe’s of Ave U (287 Ave. U) in Gravesend, Brooklyn, but instead of doing it on the day (Jan. 21) we moved the dinner up from Friday to Thursday so guests could eat meat. As is our custom, we included several nearby memorials in our opening prayers and toasts.[2]

Warmly welcomed by Paolo, Caterina and the rest of the friendly and attentive wait staff, our party were treated to another amazing meal replete with Sicilian specialties, including panelle, cavolfiore alla palermitana and purpittuni (polpettone), a delicious meat roll stuffed with ham and peas, smothered in a mushroom gravy. As always, our edacious appetites were sated.

I would be remiss if I didn't thank the guys for including my birthday in the festivities. It was a fun night and your kindness and generosity was greatly appreciated, mille grazie. Vive le roi!

Mista polpo e calamari

Vongole al forno

Caponata

Panelle speciali

Arancini speciali

Lasagna and meatballs

Cavolfiore alla palermitana

Linguine marinara

Pollo alla Milanese

Stuffed meat roll with mushroom gravy and potatoes

It never gets old (that is until my 56th birthday).
The candles on my ricotta cheesecake were transposed

Profiterole

I got some nice Two Sicilies swag for my birthday

I also got a couple of interesting books by the
old Vorticists Wyndham Lewis and Ezra Pound

Notes: 

[1] Lord, save the King, and hear us when we call upon thee. Glory to the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning and is now, and it shall be, for ever without end. Amen.

[2] The Feast of San Catello (Jan. 19), Feast of San Sebastiano (Jan. 20), Feast of Santa Maria Cristina Brando (Jan. 20), Feast of Sant’Agnese (Jan. 21,) and the Feast of San Domenico di Sora (Jan. 22); the death of Queen Maria Sophia of the Two Sicilies (Jan. 19); the birthday of King Carlo III of Spain (Jan. 20); and the death of Charles I of England (Jan. 30).

A Look at This Year's Fucarazzo di Sant'Antuono in Brooklyn, New York

Sant'Antuono Abate, ora pro nobis

Revelers enjoying the protective flames of the bonfire

Our gracious hosts Stephen, Lucia and Salvatore

Brigante se more

In addition to Christmas trees, attendees took the opportunity
to burn old scapulars, church bulletins and palm

(L) DJ La Rocca's festive and atmospheric playlist. (R) Spirits were high

After our delicious pork dinner, we enjoyed some roasted chestnuts

Photo of the Week: Sant'Antonio Abate Figurine in the Basilica Madonna dei Martiri Museum in Molfetta

Photo by Andrew Giordano

New Book: I Borbone Delle Due Sicilie/The Bourbons of the Two Sicilies

New title that may be of interest to our readers. Limited edition and numbered to 399 copies. Comes with 5 commemorative medallions with the portraits of the Bourbon Kings of the Two Sicilies. Available at www.scriptamaneant.com

• I Borbone Delle Due Sicilie/The Bourbons of the Two Sicilies by Gennaro De Crescenzo and Salvatore Lanza

Publisher: Scripta Maneant

Publication Date: n/a

Paperback: €4,600.00 (from 460.00€ for 10 months without interest)

Language: Bilingual Italian - English

Pages: 248

Read description

Click here to see more books

The Mission of the Calendar

San Rocco, Paolo Gamba, chiesa di
S. Maria Assunta, Ripabottoni (CB).
Photo from I Principi Francone nel
Contado di Molise by Gabriella Paduano
and Fr. Gabriele Tamilia

The 2022 calendar of the town of Ripabottoni, as conceived by Parish priest Don Gabriele Tamilia, contains rather beautiful pictures which distinguish each month of the year, unique iconic images which recount the history and architecture of the small Molise town. 

The purpose of the Calendar, is to raise funds for the restoration of the extremely valuable canvas painting of “Saint Rocco," patron saint of the town, which was created by local artist Paolo Gamba.

The Eighteenth century canvas is very deteriorated, has never been restored over time, and risks becoming irremediably lost.

The town Parish priest Don Gabriele Tamilia seeks through this Calendar to make the faithful aware of this problem and to save the altarpiece both from the artistic and religious point of view, as it represents the religious identity of all the Ripese. 

Tax deductible charitable donations of 10 Euros per calendar may be made to the Parish. All those interested in art history and devotees of Saint Rocco are kindly asked to support this initiative. For further information in the Americas please contact Il Regno or Cav. Charles Sant’Elia.

• January – The Parish Church of Santa Maria Assunta, a national monument, and eighteenth century building designed by the Neapolitan architect Ferdinando Sanfelice with the stone coat of arms of the Francone family, the feudatories of the town from the 17th to 19th centuries. 

• February - A partial view of the town immersed in nature.

• March - Particulars of stonework in the town.

• April - The fountain and an elderly woman bearing an antique copper basin on her head.

• May - The Palace of Prince Francone and an eighteenth century fountain.

• June - The main Square or Piazza of the town.

• July - A vintage photo of women at the fountain.

• August - The canvas depicting Saint Rocco, Patron of Ripabottoni, an Eighteenth century work by the Ripese painter Paolo Gamba, a disciple of the noted Neapolitan artist Solimena.

• September - “The fall of the rebellious Angels," a work by Solimena and a “Saint Matthew” by Paolo Gamba.

• October – A vintage picture of the town and its inhabitants.

• November - Monument to the Emigrants.

• December - “The Nativity” by Ripese painter Giambattista Gamba.

Santa Maria Assunta - Diocesi di (diocesitermolilarino.it)

Santa Maria dell'Assunta | Parrocchia Informa Morrone del Sannio e Ripabottoni

La Mission del Calendario 

Il calendario 2022 del borgo di Ripabottoni, ideato dal parroco Don Gabriele Tamilia, è caratterizzato da bellissime immagini che distinguono ogni mese dell’anno, iconografie uniche che raccontano la storia e l’architettura del piccolo paese molisano.

Il Calendario, ha la finalità di raccogliere offerte per il restauro della pregiatissima tela “di San Rocco”, patrono del paese, opera del pittore locale Paolo Gamba.

La Settecentesca tela è molto deteriorata, non è stata mai restaurata nel corso del tempo, rischia di andare irrimediabilmente perduta.

Il parroco del paese Don Gabriele Tamilia cerca attraverso tale calendario di sensibilizzare i fedeli a questo problema e salvare la pala d’altare sia dal punto di vista artistico che religioso, poiché rappresenta l’identità religiosa di tutti i ripesi. 

Donazioni fiscalmente deducibili di 10 Euro per calendario potranno essere inviate alla Parrocchia. Tutti gli interessati della storia dell’arte ed i devoti di San Rocco sono gentilmente pregati di appoggiare questa iniziativa. Per ulteriori informazioni nelle Americhe si prega contattare Il Regno o Cav. Charles Sant’Elia.

 • Gennaio - La chiesa parrocchiale di Santa Maria Assunta, monumento nazionale, edificio del Settecento dell’architetto napoletano Ferdinando Sanfelice e dal blasone in pietra della famiglia Francone, feudataria dal Seicento all’Ottocento del paese.

• Febbraio - Uno scorcio del paese immerso nella natura.

• Marzo -  Particolari in pietra del borgo.

• Aprile - La fontana e una anziana signora che reca in testa un’antica conca di rame.

• Maggio - Palazzo del principe Francone e una settecentesca fontana.

• Giugno - La Piazza principale del paese.

• Luglio - Una foto d’epoca con le donne alla fonte.

• Agosto - La tela raffigurante San Rocco, Patrono di Ripabottoni, opera del Settecento del pittore ripese Paolo Gamba, allievo del noto pittore napoletano Solimena.

• Settembre - “La caduta degli Angeli ribelli” opera del Solimena e un “San Matteo di Paolo Gamba”.

• Ottobre - Una foto d’epoca del paese e dei suoi abitanti.

• Novembre - Monumento agli Emigrati.

• Dicembre - “La Natività” del pittore ripese Giambattista Gamba.

Santa Maria Assunta - Diocesi di (diocesitermolilarino.it)

Santa Maria dell'Assunta | Parrocchia Informa Morrone del Sannio e Ripabottoni