Location Viterbo, Lazio, Italy Completed 13th century Architectural style Romanesque architecture Groundbreaking 1237 | Architectural type Church Province Province of Viterbo Affiliation Catholic Church Burials Vicedomino de Vicedominis | |
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Ecclesiastical or organizational status Parish church, minor basilica Website www.sanfrancescoviterbo.it Address Piazza S. Francesco, 01100 Viterbo VT, Italy Similar Etrurian National Musem, Palazzo Altieri, Anfiteatro, Museum Forte Sangallo, Area Archeologica di Veio S | ||
The Basilica of St. Francis (Italian: Basilica di San Francesco alla Rocca) is a parish church and minor basilica in Viterbo, central Italy. The museological management of the church is run by the Polo Museale del Lazio.
Contents
History
The church was built from 1237, on land donated by Pope Gregory IX to the Franciscan Order. The pre-existing Palazzo degli Alemanni, dating to 1208, was incorporated in the convent complex annexed to the church.
The structure was restored in the 16th and 17th centuries, with the addition of Baroque elements which hid the original Romanesque ones. An inscription on the façade states that the church, partly destroyed by the Allied bombings of 17 January 1944, was rebuilt and reopened in 1953. These restorations led to the removal of the Baroque add-ons and the restoration of the original Romanesque appearance.
Description
The façade has a Romanesque portal with twisting columns. Above it are the insignia of Pope Pius XII, who elevated the church to the rank of minor basilica in 1949, and, above it, three single mullioned windows and an oculus. The original medieval façade features a portico and several frescoes. At the right corner is a hexagonal pulpit, erected in 1238 as a memorial of Bernardino of Siena's preaching in Viterbo. The church has a bell tower with a bell from 1259.
The convent housed in its history several saints, popes and emperors. It is now the seat of the military district of Viterbo.
The interior is on the Latin cross plan, with a square apse and trussed ceiling. The latter was covered in Baroque times by a fake barrel vault. Artworks which have survived the 1944 bombing include:
The paintings of the ancient basilica were entirely frescoed, similarly to the mother Franciscan Basilica of Assisi. They were mostly executed by Antonio del Massaro. They were lost during the 18th century restoration and the 1944 bombing.