Beneath the presbytery lies the crypt. On the wall opposite the only window, a small opening in the masonry can be seen: it is all that remains of an aperture through which, presumably, the faithful and the monks could venerate either a saint’s body or other relics. Unfortunately, the sources are silent on this matter. Only an archaeological excavation could shed new light on this space and its function.
When the monks abandoned the abbey, the external hydraulic system, which conveyed the spring’s water down to the valley, deteriorated, and the water soon began to rise into the crypt, even flooding it. The mark of the water level that once stagnated inside is still visible on the walls. This situation was only resolved in the 1970s, when restoration work finally freed the church from the problem of infiltration.
Until about fifty years ago, there was a tradition of visiting the Argentella on June 24, the feast day celebrating the birth of Saint John the Baptist, and immersing oneself in the crypt’s water. This ritual strongly evoked the work of the Forerunner baptizing in the Jordan River: immersion in the crypt became a symbol of purification and profound spiritual renewal, echoing the gesture of baptism, in line with the mission of John the Baptist to continually prepare humanity for the coming of Christ.
Let us now return to the left nave.
