San Francesco is a Gothic-style,

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church located in the town of

Pioraco Pioraco is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about southwest of Ancona and about southwest of Macerata. History The territory of Pioraco was settled in the Neolithic Age, as show ...

, province of Macerata, region of

Marche Marche ( ; ), in English sometimes referred to as the Marches ( ) from the Italian name of the region (Le Marche), is one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. The region is located in the Central Italy, central area of the country, ...

, Italy.

History

The church was built in the first decade of the 14th century, completed in 1327, along with the adjacent

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

monastery. It was built putatively atop the ruins of an Ancient Roman theater. The external structure retains some late- Romanesque features including a polygonal apse, but also have Gothic mullioned window above the portal. The stone façade is plain except for the round white stone main portal. The interior has a wooden ceiling made with ''cassettoni'' or coffers, added in 1730. This ceiling and other baroque refurbishments eliminated some of the original frescoes depicting the life of the saint. The altar of the Crucifix was erected in 1622, by the guild of papermakers. The church also houses a canvas depicting ''San Carlo Borromeo'' by an unknown Bolognese painter. The canvases depicting the

Via Crucis The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

were painted by Mancini. Two 17th-century wooden statues depict Our Lady of Sorrows and the Apostle John. The church also has a stone sculpture of a Pietà.

Modern day

In 1984, the convent became the home of the municipal offices. On Holy Friday a procession leaves this church and wends its way to the church of the Madonna della Grotta.Marche Beni Culturali

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Francesco Pioraco Romanesque architecture in le Marche Gothic architecture in le Marche 14th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Buildings and structures completed in 1327 Churches completed in the 1320s