San Silvestro 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, former church in the town of

L'Aquila L'Aquila ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of both the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L'Aquila. , it has a population of 70,967 inhabitants. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valle ...

, in the region of

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...

, Italy. The church is presently under restoration after the 2009 earthquake.

History

The church was built between the 13th and 14th centuries by the locals of the Castello di Collebrincioni. Documents attest to its existence by 1350. It suffered damage and reconstruction with the 1461 earthquake. A 1967-1969 refurbishment restored the church to a medieval appearance. The white marble façade and the presbytery date to 1350 or later (after the 1349 earthquake), but other elements of the structure are older. The main portal appears to date to an earlier time. Much of the internal decoration and chapels were added after the 1461 earthquake. The layout is that of a Romanesque basilica with three naves ending in polygonal arches. The nave arches are ogival. The nave roof is made of wood. The façade has a large gothic rose window. The bell-tower was added in the 19th century. In the interior, the Branconio chapel once an altarpiece depicting the ''Visitation'' (1520) by

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of works by Raphael, His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of ...

. The work is now in the

Museo del Prado The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the ...

of Madrid, stolen in 1655. Today an anonymous copy takes its place. Near the entrance is an early 16th-century fresco by

Francesco da Montereale Francesco da Montereale (1476-1541) was an Italian painter of the early-Renaissance period, active in L'Aquila, region of Abruzzo. Biography He was the son of the painter, Paolo da Montereale. Francesco's son, Pier Francesco was also a painter. ...

, depicting the ''Enthroned Madonna and Child''. The church has other 14th and 15th-century frescoes.Regione Abruzzo - Servizio per l'Informazione Territoriale e la Telematica

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Silvestro L'Aquila Roman Catholic churches in L'Aquila 14th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Churches completed in 1350 Romanesque architecture in Abruzzo Gothic architecture in Abruzzo