Sant'Adriano III Papa 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 ...

parish church located in Spilamberto,

province of Modena The province of Modena () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Modena. It has an area of and a total population of about 701,000 (2015). There are 48 ''comuni'' (: ''comune'') in th ...

, region of

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

, Italy.

History

A church was founded at the site in the 13th century by the Abbot of Nonantola and dedicated to

Pope Adrian III Pope Adrian III or Hadrian III ( or ''Hadrianus''; died 8 July 885) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 17 May 884 to his death on 8 July 885. He served for little more than a year, during which he worked to help the people o ...

, who died in 885 nearby. This first church was destroyed by a fire in 1252, but rebuilt and underwent a number of refurbishments until it was rebuilt in the present Neoclassical-style in 1713, under the architect Giovanni Antonio Franchini. The bell tower was not completed until 1828. The interior houses a

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

''Madonna della Rondine'' by Michele da Firenze and an anonymously sculpted ''Beata Vergine degli Angioli''. There are two terracotta Depositions: a 19th-century work by Giuseppe Obici in the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

and another by Prudenzio Piccioli. Among the paintings and altarpieces in the church, some originate from the deconsecrated church of Santa Maria degli Angioli. Among the painters are Ippolito Scarsella, Jacopo Zoboli, F. Madonnina, Francesco Stringa, and R. Franciosino. The church has frescoes by Fermo Forti. The 16th century organ was completed by the Cipri family.Comune of Spilamberto
historic and artistic itinerary.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adriano III Papa 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1713 Churches in the province of Modena Neoclassical architecture in Emilia-Romagna Neoclassical church buildings in Italy