San Francesco is a
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
-style,
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
church located in the town of
Pioraco, province of Macerata, region of
Marche
Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...
, Italy.
History
The church was built in the first decade of the 14th century, completed in 1327, along with the adjacent
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
monastery. It was built putatively atop the ruins of an Ancient Roman theater. The external structure retains some late-
Romanesque features including a polygonal apse, but also have Gothic mullioned window above the portal. The stone façade is plain except for the round white stone main portal.
The interior has a wooden ceiling made with ''cassettoni'' or coffers, added in 1730. This ceiling and other baroque refurbishments eliminated some of the original frescoes depicting the life of the saint. The altar of the Crucifix was erected in 1622, by the guild of papermakers. The church also houses a canvas depicting ''San Carlo Borromeo'' by an unknown Bolognese painter. The canvases depicting the
Via Crucis were painted by Mancini. Two 17th-century wooden statues depict Our Lady of Sorrows and the Apostle John. The church also has a stone sculpture of a Pietà.
Modern day
In 1984, the convent became the home of the municipal offices. On Holy Friday a procession leaves this church and wends its way to the church of the Madonna della Grotta.
Marche Beni Culturali
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francesco Pioraco
Romanesque architecture in le Marche
Gothic architecture in le Marche
14th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy
Churches completed in 1327
Pioraco