The church of San Francesco is a late- Romanesque and early- 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 and convent in the town of

Terni Terni ( ; ; ) is a city in the southern portion of the region of Umbria, in Central Italy. It is near the border with Lazio. The city is the capital of the province of Terni, located in the plain of the Nera (Tiber), River Nera. It is northeast ...

, region of

Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...

, in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

History

A church at the site was originally begun in the 13th century, with a simple single nave and transept as typical of

Franciscan order 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 ...

churches. The church was completed in 1445. The design was once attributed to a friar, frà Filippo da Campello. In the 14th century, the Paradisi chapel was built, which was decorated with frescoes by

Bartolomeo di Tommaso Bartolomeo di Tommaso, also known as Bartolomeo da Foligno (born in Foligno, c. 1400, active by 1425, died 1453–54) was an Italian painter of the Umbria, Umbro-Sienese School, Sienese school. Life and career He was in Ancona from 1425 to 1442, ...

of Foligno. The frescoes depict ''The Last Judgement'' with scenes of Paradise, Hell, and the seven major sins. The bell tower was built in the 16th century and is decorated with

majolica In different periods of time and in different countries, the term ''majolica'' has been used for two distinct types of pottery. Firstly, from the mid-15th century onwards, ''maiolica'' was a type of pottery reaching Italy from Spain, Majorca a ...

tiles. Also in the church is an altarpiece depicting the ''Adoration of the Magi'' by

Cesare Sermei Cesare Sermei (Città della Pieve, – Assisi, 1668) was an Italian painter. Son of painter Fernando Sermei, he learned to paint in the workshop of Cesare Nebbia, primarily moving between Orvieto and Rome. In 1608 Sermei established himself i ...

, and frescoes of the ''Story of the True Cross'' (1575) by

Sebastiano Flori Sebastiano Flori (active 1545) was an Italian painter active in Rome and Umbria. Sebastiano was a pupil of Giorgio Vasari and he painted with him in the large frescoes in the Palazzo della Cancelleria The Palazzo della Cancelleria (Palace of the ...

of Arezzo, a pupil of

Giorgio Vasari Giorgio Vasari (30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance painter, architect, art historian, and biographer who is best known for his work ''Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'', considered the ideol ...

.Parish of San Francesco of Terni

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Francesco, Terni Francesco 13th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Romanesque architecture in Terni Buildings and structures completed in 1445 Churches completed in the 1440s