The abbey of Santa Maria di Viepri is a Romanesque, former

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery and church in

Viepri Viepri, is an Italian village in the Colli Martani of central Umbria, a frazione of Massa Martana, 7 km north of that town and another 7 km SSW of Bastardo. It has about 200 inhabitants. One of the more attractive medieval vill ...

, a hamlet of the town of

Massa Martana Massa Martana (near the well attested ancient site of the ''Vicus Martis Tudertium'' on the Via Flaminia) is an ancient Italian town and ''comune'' in the Monti Martani mountain range in the province of Perugia (Umbria). It is 10 km N o ...

, province of Perugia,

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

, Italy.

History

The church was erected circa 1150 by the lords of Castelvecchio. It was once associated with an adjacent castle and monastery. Construction might have been aided by nearby stones from the

Via Flaminia The Via Flaminia or Flaminian Way was an ancient Roman road leading from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to ''Ariminum'' (Rimini) on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and due to the ruggedness of the mountains was the major option the Romans had ...

. The stone façade is made of stone bricks with a small mullioned window. A large bell-tower arises next to the façade. The semicircular apses differ, with the center one being less decorated. The church contains some of the Romanesque sculptural elements embedded in the walls. The interior still has three naves, but the pilasters lack capitals. The church houses a ''Birth of the Virgin'' and a ''Madonna of the Rosary'' painted by

Andrea Polinori Andrea Polinori (1586 – 1648) was an Italians, Italian painter active in a Baroque art, Baroque-style mainly in his native city of Todi in Umbria. Biography He was born in Todi. He spent a formative period circa 1615 in Rome. He is describe ...

. In October 2021, the Polinori paintings were restored, with funding from the Worsnip family, the Pro Loco of Viepri and the Comunanza Agraria.Comune of Massa Martana
entry on Abbey.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria di Viepri Churches in Massa Martana 12th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Romanesque architecture in Umbria Monasteries in Umbria