San Giuseppe da Copertino is a

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 ...

basilica church in the town of

Osimo Osimo is a town and ''comune'' of the Marche region of Italy, in the province of Ancona. The municipality covers a hilly area located approximately south of the port city of Ancona and the Adriatic Sea. History The oldest archaeological evide ...

, 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

A church at the site, dedicated to St Francis of Assisi, who had visited Osimo in 1215 and 1220, and was consecrated in 1234 in the Gothic-style seen on the outside. St

Joseph of Cupertino Joseph of Cupertino (Copertino), OFM Conv. (; 17 June 1603 – 18 September 1663) was an Italian Conventual Franciscan friar who is honored as a Christian mystic and saint. According to traditional Franciscan accounts, he was "remarkably uncle ...

was a pious local Franciscan priest, said to have performed miracles, including levitation. He died in 1663 in Osimo, and was beatified in 1753, wherein the Frati Minori Conventuali who were affiliated with the church commissioned refurbishment of the interiors in a Neoclassical-style by the architect

Andrea Vici Andrea Vici (1743–1817) was an Italian architect and engineer, active in a Neoclassical style. He was a pupil of Luigi Vanvitelli, and active in the Papal States comprising parts of Lazio, Umbria, and Marche. Biography Andrea was born in Ar ...

. After canonization, his remains were placed under the main altar in 1771; it is now housed in a crypt constructed in 1963. Gilded angels hold aloft a glass sarcophagus with the Saint in a friar's garb. The interior of the church houses an ''Enthroned Madonna and Saints'' by

Antonio Solario Antonio Solario ( 1502–1518), also known as Antonio de Solario or da Solario and sometimes by the nickname Lo Zingaro ("The Gypsy"), was an Italian painter of the Venetian school, who worked in Naples, the Marche and possibly England. His care ...

, and a ''Crucifixion'' by

Francesco Solimena Francesco Solimena (4 October 1657 – 3 April 1747) was a prolific Italian Baroque painter, one of an established family of painters and draughtsmen. Biography Francesco Solimena was born in Canale di Serino in the province of Avellino. H ...

. The latter painting was moved here in 1893 from the tower of Palazzo Comunale. The quarters of the saint in the adjacent monastery, where he resided from 1657 to 1663 and his adjacent oratory, are open to visitors. During 1933-1937, Gaetano Bocchetti frescoed the apse with a ''Glory of San Giuseppe'', and other walls with ''Lives of Franciscan Saints''. An altar holds the body of the Blessed Benvenuto Bambozzi (1809 -1875). The Sacristy retains frescoes from the 14th century and a canvas depicting the ''Ecstasy of San Giuseppe upon visiting the Santa Casa di Loreto'' (1781) by Mazzanti.Official site
Story of the church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giuseppe da Copertino Osimo 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1753 Franciscan churches in Italy Gothic architecture in le Marche Neoclassical architecture in le Marche Roman Catholic churches in Osimo Neoclassical church buildings in Italy es:Basílica di San José de Cupertino#top