San Nicola 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 ...

church and former convent located in the town of

Sant'Angelo in Pontano Sant'Angelo in Pontano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about south of Ancona and about south of Macerata. It stands in pleasant position with a panoramic view over the adjacent val ...

province of Macerata The province of Macerata () is a province in the Marche region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Macerata. The province contains 55 ''comuni'' (: ''comune''), listed in the ''comuni'' of the province of Macerata. Located between the rivers ...

, 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 and convent, dedicated to St

Nicholas of Tolentino Nicholas of Tolentino, OSA (, c. 1246September 10, 1305) known as the "Patron of Holy Souls", was an Italian Catholic Christian mysticism, mystic who is invoked as an advocate for the souls in Purgatory, especially during Lent and the month of ...

, patron saint of the village of Sant'Angelo where he was born, were established in the 13th century by the Augustinian order, but refurbished over the centuries. The complex stands on its highest part, in a panoramic square, with the church next to the Convent of the Augustinians. The original church of S. Pietro di Posmonte, annexed to the first convent and probably later rebuilt, was named after Sant'Agostino. It was after 1446, the year of the canonization of Nicola di Compagnone, that his dedication was changed to that of San Nicola. At the end of the 16th century, the whole complex needed a radical adaptation and restructuring. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, Fra'Nicola Giovannetti prior to S.Angelo and Provinciale della Marca promoted the rearrangement project and the church was renovated and enlarged in a

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style, with the addition in its eastern part of the chapel of San Nicola, frescoed by

Domenico Malpiedi Domenico Malpiedi (active 1590–1605) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance. He was a pupil of Federigo Barocci. He was born at San Ginesio. Malpiedi painted canvases for the churches near his birthplace, including Santa Maria delle ...

San Ginesio San Ginesio is an Italian Comune (Italy), municipality with a population of 3,040 inhabitants located in the Province of Macerata within the Marche region. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). Phy ...

. The church preserves some valuable paintings and a wooden choir made in those years. It also houses an organ of the early eighteenth century, renovated following the fall of lightning in April 1758 by the organ builder Francesco Fedeli, of the famous organ family of the Rocchetta di Camerino. Comune of Sant'Angelo in Pontano
Tourism entry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicola Sant'Angelo in Pontano Baroque church buildings in the Marche 13th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy