The Basilica of Santa Maria at Pie' di Chienti was a 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 ...

monastery and church located in a rural site on the north bank of the Chienti river, just outside of the town of Montecosaro Scalo, in the 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. The church is also known as the ''Santissima Annunziata''.

History

The monastery was founded in the 10th century, and remained under jurisdiction of the

Abbey of Farfa Farfa Abbey ( it, Abbazia di Farfa) is a territorial abbey in northern Lazio, central Italy. In the Middle Ages it was one of the richest and most famous abbeys in Italy. It belongs to the Benedictine Order and is located about from Rome, in t ...

until 1477. Documents cite the presence of an abbey by 936. The

pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...

transferred the property to the order of the Ospedale di Santa Maria della Pietà of Camerino. The Romanesque stone church we see today was rebuilt in 1125 by the Lombard abbot Agenolfo or Adenolfo. An earthquake in that era caused the upper portions of the church to collapse. The church once had a lower crypt, above an elevated presbytery and three radial chapels emerging from the apse. The perimeter of the apse had an ambulatory that allowed lay visitors to walk without disturbing the cloistered monks in the central choir space. The interior has a basilica layout with a nave and two aisles. The church has undergone some refurbishments over the centuries. The interior still retains a 15th-century wooden crucifix and medieval frescoes.Comune of Montecosaro
entry on church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montecosaro, Maria a Pie' di Chienti 10th-century churches in Italy 12th-century churches in Italy Buildings and structures completed in 1125 Romanesque architecture in le Marche Churches in the Province of Macerata Roman Catholic churches in the Marche Benedictine monasteries in Italy