Santa Maria Nuova is an Romanesque-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 Via Baciadonne and the piazza of the same name in the historic center of

Viterbo Viterbo (; Central Italian, Viterbese: ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Lazio region of Italy, the Capital city, capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in ...

in the Region of

Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...

, Italy.

History

A church at the site existed prior to 1080 when documents note that the church, along with its adjacent hospital/hostel for pilgrims, was donated to the city of Viterbo by a family of a ''prete Biterbo''. The temple was a parish church since 1217. Until 1574, the church was the archive, bank, and assembly hall for the popular assemblies. After that, these functions were moved to the

Palazzo dei Priori The Palazzo dei Priori or comunale is one of the best examples in Italy of a public palace from the communal era (11th century). It is located in the central Piazza IV Novembre in Perugia, Umbria. It extends along up to Via Boncambi. It still h ...

. The stone brick exterior facade is rough and rustic with a single portal with a rounded tympanum; at the top is a triangular sail campanile. The facade is pierced by three

monofora Monofora is a type of the single-light window, usually narrow, crowned by an arch, and decorated by small columns or pilasters. Overview The term usually refers to a certain type of window designed during the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque, ...

windows. Above the portal is a marble bust, likely spolia from an Ancient Roman structure. On the church's west flank, is a second entrance with a better preserved portal. Notable on the facade corner here is the stone pulpit atop a narrow column. It is claimed this pulpit was used to speak to the ''arengo'', or assembly of citizens of the city. It is claimed that in 1266,

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas ( ; ; – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican Order, Dominican friar and Catholic priest, priest, the foremost Scholasticism, Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the W ...

spoke from this pulpit to lobby for peace between Viterbo and Orvieto. On the wall various marble

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 ...

decorate the wall. The interior nave is divided by two rows, each of six columns, each with their individual Romanesque Corinthian capitals. The central nave and parallel aisles end in the apse with the typical Romanesque semicircles. The wall niche in the chapel of the

Monaldeschi The House of Monaldeschi was one of the powerful noble families of Orvieto, central Italy, members of the Guelph party who contested with murders and violence the Ghibelline Filippeschi for control of the commune of Orvieto and the ''castelli'' o ...

family was frescoed with a ''Crucifixion with the Madonna, Magdalen, St John, and St James Major'' (1340s) by Matteo Giovannetti. In 1459, in this chapel was interred Alessio Tignosini who had been decapitated in the Piazza del Plebiscito for starting a revolt against the Gatti family. Other altars house frescoes by

Francesco d’Antonio Zacchi Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis", is one of the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include: People with the given name Francesco * Francesco I (disambiguation) ...

, also called il Balletta, including a ''Resurrected Christ'' and a ''Enthroned Madonna and Child with St John the Baptist and Donor''. The church houses a frescoed ''Saints Jerome, John the Baptist, and Lawrence'' (1490)by

Antonio Del Massaro Antonio del Massaro da Viterbo, or ''Antonio da Viterbo'', nicknamed il Pastura (c. 1450–1516) was an Italian painter. Life and career The earliest mention of Il Pastura occurs in December 1478, when the artist participated in the establishm ...

, also called ''il Pastura''. The church also houses a 13th-century ''

Triptych A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all m ...

of San Salvatore'', as well as modern works. It houses a fresco depicting the ''Virgin and Child with Saints Bartholemew and Lawrence'' (circa 1510) attributed to Giovanni Francesco d’Avanzarano. In the presbytery is a modern bronze plaque depicting ''The Last Supper'' (1964) by Carlo Canestrari. Remnants of a Romanesque cloister, on the eastern flank adjacent to the church date from the Lombard era.Santa Maria Nuova
official website.

References

Gallery

File:Antonio del massaro detto il pastura, ss. g. battista, girolamo, lorenzo e un committente, 1490 ca. 01.jpg, Altar fresco by Antonio del Massaro File:Francesco d'avanzarano detto il fantastico, madonna col bambino e santi, 1510 ca. 01.jpg, Altar fresco by d'Avanzarano File:Francesco zacchi detto il balletta, crocifissione e santi, xv secolo 01.jpg, ''Crucifixion with Saints'' by Francesco Zacchi File:Francesco zacchi detto il balletta, madonna in trono col bambino, il battista e una committente, sangue di cristo dell'eucarestia, xv secolo 01.jpg, ''Enthroned Madonna and Child with St John the Baptist and Donor'' by Zacchi File:Matteo giovannetti (attr.), crocifissione e santi, 1340, 01.jpg, ''Crucifixion and Saints'' (1340) by Matteo Giovannetti

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Nuova Viterbo Roman Catholic churches in Viterbo Romanesque architecture in Lazio Maria Nuova