San Giovanni Battista is a Neoclassic-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 on Corso Giacomo Matteotti in the town of

Porto Recanati Porto Recanati () is a town in the province of Macerata in the Marche region of Central Italy. It was made an independent town on 15 January 1893, due to a decree issued by King Umberto I causing the coastal hamlets of the town to be separated fr ...

, 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 town of Porto Recanati only gradually separated from

Recanati Recanati () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Macerata, in the Italian region of Marche. Recanati was founded around 1150 AD from three pre-existing castles. In 1290 it proclaimed itself an independent republic and, in the 15th c ...

. A medieval church was once found inside the castle of the town, dedicated also to ''St John the Baptist''. In 1571, the church was elevated to a parish church. As the population grew, there was a need for a larger church. Plans for a larger church were drawn up in 1779, but instead of enlarging the constricted castle church, a new one was begun in 1784 and completed a year later at the cost of 6700 lire. The architect was Luigi Paglialunga from

Fermo Fermo (; ancient: Firmum Picenum) is a town and ''comune'' of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo. Fermo is on a hill, the Sabulo, elevation , on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway. History The oldest huma ...

. The layout is octagonal. In 1804 new pilasters were added to support the roof. In 1828 the small castle church was razed and the materials used in the restoration of this church. The 18th century frescoes in the church were covered over in the 19th century during restorations. The church houses a canvas by

Baldassare Peruzzi Baldassare Tommaso Peruzzi (7 March 1481 – 6 January 1536) was an Italian architect and painter, born in a small town near Siena (in Ancaiano, ''frazione'' of Sovicille) and died in Rome. He worked for many years with Bramante, Raphael, and l ...

depicting ''St John the Baptist'' and a 15th-century ''Madonna del Soccorso'' moved here in 1828 from the chapel of the Castello Svevo. It has 14 wooden statues depicting scenes of 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 ...

.Tourism office of the Marche
entry on church.

References

Neoclassical architecture in le Marche 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1785

Neoclassical church buildings in Italy {{Marche-RC-church-stub