Walking through the historic center of Vieste, right at the base of the steps that lead to the entrance of the Cathedral, near the medieval “Porta ad Alt”, there is a suggestive little street with a name full of meaning: Via Celestino V.
Few people know that this little street commemorates one of the most dramatic and mysterious episodes in the history of the Church: the escape of the hermit who became pope, and then resigned, Pietro del Morrone. A man who, in his search for peace, found refuge on Gargano... and destiny.
Celestino V: White smoke after more than 2 years
The death of Pope Nicholas IV on April 4, 1292, opened one of the longest and most complex conclaves in the history of the Church. The cardinals, then twelve in number, were unable to reach an agreement because of the deep divisions between the Colonna and Orsini factions. Meeting in various locations between Rome and Perugia, they remained in stalemate for over two years. A violent plague epidemic reduced the college to eleven members and forced the temporary dissolution of the assembly.
In March 1294, while Charles II of Anjou was urgently seeking the election of a pontiff for political reasons related to the Sicilian question, the name of Pietro del Morrone emerged. The monk from Abruzzo, already known throughout Europe for his ascetic and prophetic life, had sent a message to the Cardinal Dean Latino Malabranca, warning against the spiritual consequences of a vacant see for too long. Struck by that message, Malabranca proposed the hermit as a candidate for the papal throne.
Despite the initial astonishment and internal resistance, the spiritual and apparently “manageable” figure of Peter was seen as the most peaceful way out of the stalemate. On July 5, 1294, after 27 months of conclave, he was elected unanimously. He was about 84 years old. Upon hearing the news of his nomination, Peter was hesitant and in tears. He prayed for a long time before accepting, declaring his obedience with profound humility. On the back of a donkey, accompanied by Charles II of Anjou, he reached L'Aquila, where he was crowned on August 29 in the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio with the name of Celestine V.
From the first days of his pontificate, however, his discomfort was evident. Totally alien to the complex bureaucratic machine of the Church, incapable of resisting curial and political pressure, Celestine manifested a profound sense of inadequacy. After little more than four months, on December 13, 1294, during a consistory in Naples, he formally renounced the pontificate with an act of rare lucidity and courage, motivated by humility, physical fragility and a desire to save his soul. A historic decision, which continues to be discussed by theologians and historians, and which made his name enter the collective memory with the nickname of "Pope of the Great Refusal".
The “great refusal” and the escape
Dante Alighieri, in the Divine Comedy, he defined him with the famous verse “he who made the great refusal through cowardice” (Inferno, III, 60), without naming him explicitly. An ambiguous condemnation, which has been reinterpreted over time: more than cowardice, Celestine’s choice was one of extraordinary humility. Paul VI spoke of “heroic renunciation”, and Benedict XVI was inspired by him in 2013.
After his resignation, the new pope, Boniface VIII, fearing a possible schism or a change of heart, ordered his arrest. Warned by his faithful, Celestine V fled from San Giovanni in Piano near Apricena, passing through Gargano with the intention of reaching Greece, where he would find refuge with the community of the spirituals of Clareno.
The refuge on Gargano
The escape probably passed through Rhodes Garganico, where Celestine embarked. But the ship was wrecked and the former pope found refuge in an unspecified location, "fifteen miles from Rhodes and five from Vieste", where he spent nine days in hiding before being captured.
There are numerous hypotheses on the exact location of the refuge. The historian Giuliani from Vieste indicated the Santa Maria di Merino beach. The researcher Mimmo Aliota suggested the Abbey of Saint Mary of Kalena, near Peschici, while others, based on oral sources, hypothesize a rock cave called “a grott 'u papa”, located in a pine forest between Peschici and Vieste, in the Calalunga area.
The arrest of Celestine V in Vieste
On May 16, 1295, Celestine was arrested by William Stendardo II, Constable of the Kingdom of Naples. According to tradition, it was the beach (perhaps that of Santa Maria di Merino) where the vessel that was supposed to take him to Greece had been pushed back by a storm. Celestine interpreted that event as a divine sign and decided not to attempt to escape again. He said: "It is not God's will that I flee."
After his arrest, he was locked up in the castle of Fumone, where he lived in prison with two brothers until his death in May 1296. In 1313 he was proclaimed a saint and celebrated with the name of Saint Peter Celestine.
