Santi Pietro e Tommaso is the

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 ...

parish church in town of

Montasola Montasola is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rieti in the Italian region Latium, located about northeast of Rome and about west of Rieti. Montasola borders the following municipalities: Casperia, Contigliano, Cottanello, Torri ...

, in the

province of Rieti The Province of Rieti ( it, Provincia di Rieti) is a province in the Lazio region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Rieti. Established in 1927, it has an area of with a total population of 157,887 people as of 2017. There are 73 ''comuni'' ...

, region of

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, Italy.

History

The church at the site was first commissioned in 1191 by

Pope Celestine III Pope Celestine III ( la, Caelestinus III; c. 1106 – 8 January 1198), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 March or 10 April 1191 to his death in 1198. He had a tense relationship with several monarchs, ...

, and was dependent on 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 ...

. The marble inscription in the portal dates a major refurbishment or restoration in 1721. The church has five altars, with the main altar dedicated both to the

eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...

and the assumption of the Virgin. In the central niche of the apse is a wooden statue of the Virgin, standing beside on a St Antony and a cult statue of the Virgin. The rose marble

balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...

was installed in 1923, and derives from the former church of Santa Maria Murella. Along the right wall, the first altarpiece is a 16th-century canvas depicting the ''Virgin of the Rosary, St Dominic, and a nun''. The canvas is surrounded by 15 smaller depiction of the mysteries of the

Rosary The Rosary (; la, , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), also known as the Dominican Rosary, or simply the Rosary, refers to a set of prayers used primarily in the Catholic Church, and to the physical string of knots or b ...

. The 14th-century apse frescoes are attributed to Domenico Rainaldi. They depict the ''Virgin and Child with Saints Peter and Francis''. The first altarpiece on the left, dedicated to ''Santa Maria in Cecalupi'', also known as ''Santa Maria della Neve'' (Holy Mary of the Snows). The fresco depicts the ''Virgin with Saints Eusebius and John the Baptist''. The second altarpiece on the left has an altar dedicated to St Prospero, derived from the former church of San Antonino. The canvas dates to the 16th century. The holy water font derives from the 1400s. The framed cassettes in the ceiling date to the 16th-century and include a canvas derived also from Santa Maria Murella, depicting the ''Virgin and Child with Saints Peter and Charles Borromeo and a donor''. It is suspected the donor is Angelo Bonelli, 17th-century patron of the former church. The facade is simple, and shows evidence of the multiple reconstructions.Comune of Montasola
short description of Monuments.

References

Roman Catholic churches in Lazio Pietro e Tommaso Pietro e Tommaso Churches in the province of Rieti {{morecat, date=December 2019