Santa Chiara also known as the '' Santuario Madonna della Misericordia'' or ''Sanctuary of the Mater Misericordia'' is a

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

-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 via Santa Chiara #28 in Rimini, Italy. The church is best known for housing a venerated icon of the Madonna that has putatively moved its eyes for many believers.

History

A church at the site was present by the 14th-century, the church was attached to the Convent of the Poor Clares, which was refurbished in Neoclassical style in 1852, with the interior decoration continuing till 1875 under Bilancioni and Ravegnani. The main altarpiece is the venerated ''Madonna'' (1796) painted by Giuseppe Soleri Brancaleoni. On 11-12 May 1850, the eyes on this painting were seen to move skyward; the miracle was observed by many. The painting is now housed in a frame of gilded wood with angels holding a cornice of valuable stones and metals, donated to the church by August 1850 by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

. This was done after a large commission examined the veracity of the events. This pope would pronounce and define the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Bilancioni painted the ''Glory'' in the apse of the main chapel and the chiaroscuro medallions with ''Prophets'' in the cupola. The ornamentation are by Ravegnani. In the larger chapel is a canvas depicting ''St Clare Scatters the Saracens'' by Angelo Sarzetti, and a ''Resurrection with Saints'' by Viviani, a pupil of Barocci. According to tradition, St Francis himself stayed at the site of the Convent. In December 1655, Christina, former queen of Sweden stayed at the monastery on her way to Rome.Rimini Turismo entry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chiara Rimini 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches in Rimini Baroque architecture in Rimini