Sant'Agostino is a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

style, former

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 at the intersection of the Avenue Farnese and via Giordani in

Piacenza Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...

, region of

Emilia Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

History

The adjacent convent was built during 1569-1573 by the

Canons Regular of the Lateran The Canons Regular of the Lateran (CRL), formally titled the Canons Regular of St. Augustine of the Congregation of the Most Holy Savior at the Lateran, is an international congregation of an order of canons regular, comprising priests and lay bro ...

, but the church building was not completed till 1608. The Lateransi had been in Piacenza since 1431, but had been evicted by the

Pier Luigi Farnese Pier Luigi Farnese (19 November 1503 – 10 September 1547) was the first Duke of Castro from 1537 to 1545 and the first Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1545 to 1547. Born in Rome, Pier Luigi was the illegitimate son of Cardinal Alessandro Farne ...

from their prior holdings at the Monastery of San Marco. The neoclassical façade of the church was completed only in 1792 by

Camillo Morigia Camillo Morigia (15 September 1743, Ravenna - 16 January 1795, Ravenna) was a north-Italian neo-classical architect. He is most notable for his designs for the Tomb of Dante and the facade of Santa Maria in Porto Basilica, both in his home-town ...

. The facade recalls the Roman

triumphal arches A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crow ...

, with statues and a pediment decorated with angels and garlands. At the end of the 18th-century, the monastery came to be used as a military hospital."Chiesa di Sant’Agostino", Visit Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna Turismo
/ref> In 1798, the contents of this wealthy convent were auctioned to raise money to pay Napoleonic demands. This included a large library at the monastery. In 1828, the convent and church were bought by the city. After deconsecration and until the Second World War, the church and the monastery was used as barracks, hospital, and warehouse. The interior of the church is decorated with frescoes by Trotti; Procaccini ; Nuvoloni; Bartolomeo Baderna;

Gian Paolo Lomazzo Gian Paolo Lomazzo (26 April 1538 – 27 January 1592; his first name is sometimes also given as "Giovan" or "Giovanni") was an Italian artist and writer on art. Praised as a painter, Lomazzo wrote about artistic practice and art theory after ...

(Refectory, 1567);

Antonio Cifrondi Antonio Cifrondi (June 11, 1655 – October 30, 1730) was an Italian painter of the late Baroque, mainly of genre themes. He was active in Brescia and near Bergamo. He was born to a poor mason in Clusone. After some local training. Cifrondi moved ...

; and Rubini . The site is now deconsecrated and was used for exhibitions until 1985, and again since 2019.Volumnia web site
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Agostino, Piacenza Roman Catholic churches in Piacenza 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Renaissance architecture in Piacenza Neoclassical architecture in Emilia-Romagna Roman Catholic churches completed in 1608 1608 establishments in Italy Neoclassical church buildings in Italy