The Oratory of Santa Maria Assunta is a Catholic place of worship in Riomaggiore, located in Via Santuario. SHORT HISTORY The oratory, the seat of the Confraternity of the Disciplinanti dell’Assunta, was built during the 16th century. ART The oratory preserves a wooden statue of the Madonna delle Catene (Madonna of the Chains), in memory of the inhabitants who, over the centuries, suffered raids and kidnappings in the Saracen raids, and a tempera triptych depicting the Madonna with Child and Saints John the Baptist and Dominic. HOW TO GET THERE The Oratory of Santa Maria Assunta is located about 800 meters away from the Riomaggiore railway station. The closest bus stop is Riomaggiore Park, located about 70 meters away, on the local bus line.
All Churches in Riomaggiore
Italy has many churches, and all of them are beautiful and full of spectacular works of art. The main church of the city is referred as Il Duomo, but you will find churches that are named Basilica, Chiesa or Cattedrale, depending on their size and importance.
Some of the most beautiful churches in Italy are the Basilica di San Marco and the Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venice, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and the Basilica di Santa Croce in Florence, the Basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome, the Cathedral of the Nativity of Saint Mary and the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Orvieto and the Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore in Verona.
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Oratory of San Rocco and San Sebastiano
The Oratory of San Rocco and San Sebastiano (Oratory of Saint Roch and Saint Sebastian) is a small place of worship located in the beautiful seaside village of Riomaggiore. The oratory is built in a panoramic position next to the Castle of Riomaggiore, on the ridge that separates the Rio Maggiore valley, where the village rises. SHORT HISTORY According to some people, the Oratory of San Rocco was built in 1480 as a sign of gratitude for the end of the plague that killed almost half the population of the village. According to others, the oratory was built almost a century later. ART AND ARCHITECTURE The small building, with very simple architectural forms, is preceded by a portico. The interior, consisting of a single room covered by a lowered barrel vault and decorated with devotional frescoes, takes light from small windows splayed in the thickness of the walls. On the Baroque altar there is a triptych with the Virgin and Child between Saint Roch and Saint Sebastian. HOW TO GET THERE The Oratory of San Rocco is located about 450 meters away from the Riomaggiore railway station, or about 8-10 minutes on foot. Depending on the route Read more [...]
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Church of San Giovanni Battista
The Church of San Giovanni Battista is a Catholic church located in the upper part of the historical center of Riomaggiore, in Via Pecunia, 47. SHORT HISTORY The church was built in Romanesque style in 1340, as stated by a plaque on the facade, at the behest of the bishop of the diocese of Luni, Antonio Fieschi. Due to a collapse of the church, an important restoration was carried out between 1870 and 1871. The extension of the complex and the reconstruction of the facade in Neo-Gothic style preserved, however, the 14th-century rose window in white Carrara marble. ART AND ARCHITECTURE On the right side of the church, there are still visible today the single-lancet windows and the two entrances in Gothic style decorated with zoomorphic and anthropomorphic elements dated back to the Romanesque period. The interior has a basilica plan and is divided into three naves, with ogival arches. The presbytery and the two end chapels, all closed by a balustrade with statues, have a late Baroque appearance. Behind the main altar, adorned with two 18th-century statues, there is a beautiful wooden choir. Two other marble altars are on the sides. The one on the right is Read more [...]