The Stone Coffin known
as the “Tomb of Piltrude”
On the north wall of the presbytery in the Tempietto Longobardo, there are two 8th‑century carved stone pieces built into the masonry. They originally came from an old ambo, a raised stand used for readings in church. For centuries, these slabs were used as part of a sarcophagus that stood above the floor. According to legend, this was the Tomb of Piltrude, who is believed to be the founder of the monastery.
In fact, Piltrude was indeed an abbess, but not at Santa Maria in Valle. She was the head of the monastery in the village of Salt (some 14 Km away), which had been founded by her and her three sons, who came from a noble Lombard family. Piltrude’s family played an important role in founding other major local monasteries as well, including the one in Sesto al Reghena (about 80 Km away).
The monastery in Salt seems to have disappeared by 889, as recorded in a Carolingian charter. After that, the nuns may have moved to Cividale, bringing with them their possessions and relics. This probably helped establish a strong local devotion to Piltrude that took root in the community.
It is uncertain when people first began to venerate Piltrude. The sarcophagus seems to have been made after the floor of the presbytery was raised in the 13th century, or perhaps even later. During restoration work on the Tempietto in the mid‑20th century, this stone coffin was taken apart. Inside, the restorers found the bones of three individuals, which are now kept beneath the altar.
The two slabs used to build the tomb are typical examples of late Lombard sculpture. Their decoration follows the same patterns seen on the urn of Saint Anastasia from the monastery of Sesto al Reghena, although with shallower relief and simpler carving. These slabs were not originally meant for a sarcophagus, but they were once part of an ambo, possibly from the Church of San Giovanni. They may have been reused after the Carolingian rebuilding of the church’s presbytery enclosure.
