San Tommaso Apostolo is a Romanesque and

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** 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

Ascoli Piceno Ascoli Piceno (; ; ) is a (municipality) and capital of the province of Ascoli Piceno, in the Italy, Italian region of Marche. Geography The town lies at the confluence of the Tronto, River Tronto and the small Castellano (river), River Castell ...

in the 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

Construction of the church was spurred circa 1064 by Bishop Bernardo II. The simple façade built with

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

blocks has three naves, with a tympanum with a rose window. To the right, rises a bell-tower (1283) with a square base. The church has a basilica layout with the naves and aisles separated by sturdy pilasters, and includes

spolia ''Spolia'' (Latin for 'spoils'; : ''spolium'') are stones taken from an old structure and repurposed for new construction or decorative purposes. It is the result of an ancient and widespread practice (spoliation) whereby stone that has been quar ...

from the former

Roman amphitheater Roman amphitheatres are theatres — large, circular or oval open-air venues with tiered seating — built by the ancient Romans. They were used for events such as gladiator combats, ''venationes'' (animal slayings) and executions. About 230 Roma ...

of the first century BC, which had been located in the piazza in front of the church. Many of the nave pilasters are frescoed. Frescoes depict a ''Madonna del Latte'' (14th century) by the Maestro di Offida and an ''Enthroned Madonna and Child'' (1298). A number of the lateral altars were erected in the 18th century using travertine marble. The main altar has a gilded wood tabernacle from the 16th century shaped like an octagonal ciborium. The church houses a marble sculptural group (17th-century) depicting a ''Madonna and Child with St Thomas the Apostle and St John the Evangelist'' sculpted by Lazzaro and Giuseppe Giosafatti.Tourism of Marche
description of the church.

References

Romanesque architecture in le Marche Gothic architecture in le Marche Roman Catholic churches in Ascoli Piceno 11th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Buildings and structures completed in 1064 Churches completed in the 1060s {{Marche-RC-church-stub