All Places in Marche

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    Cathedral of San Ciriaco

    The Cathedral of San Ciriaco is the Cathedral of Ancona, located in a scenic position on top of Monte Guasco, formerly occupied by the acropolis of the ancient Greek city.   SHORT HISTORY OF THE CATHEDRAL OF SAN CIRIACO In the 4th century BC, the Greeks from Syracuse who settled in the area erected on this site a temple dedicated to Aphrodite. The temple, whose foundations were discovered under the Cathedral, had a plan corresponding to the transept of the current church. In the 5th century AD, an early Christian basilica dedicated to San Lorenzo was built on the remains of the ancient temple. The Basilica of San Lorenzo had three naves, with an entrance towards the southeast, where the Chapel of the Crucifix is currently located. At the end of the 10th century, Ancona became a powerful maritime republic. On this occasion, the ancient church was enlarged between 996 and 1015, extending the three pre-existing naves to correspond to the entire current transept. In 1017, once the works were completed, the remains of the patron saints Marcellino and Ciriaco were transferred to the crypt inside the church, and the church became the Cathedral of Ancona. Important expansion works were Read more [...]

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    Church of San Domenico

    The Church of San Domenico is a church in Ancona, located in Piazza del Plebiscito, in the historical center of the city. The church occupies one of the two short sides of the square, at the top of a large stairway. SHORT HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF SAN DOMENICO For the construction of the current church, a pre-existing structure from the 13th century dedicated to the same saint was demolished. The Church of San Domenico was designed by Carlo Marchionni in 1763, and the first stone was laid in 1771. The structure was completed in 1778, without a facade. In 1798, with the French occupation and the advent of the Republic of Ancona, the church was used as a barracks. The upper part of the facade remained unfinished. During the bombings of the Second World War, the church was damaged and the roof partially collapsed. The venerated image of the Incoronata (Crowned), coming from the previous church and placed in a side chapel, was destroyed, as were two statues by Gioacchino Varlè and some paintings. After the war, the church was restored and the destroyed statues and paintings were replaced by others. The church was reopened for worship in 1948. Read more [...]

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    Piazza Cavour

    Piazza Cavour is one of the main squares of Ancona, located in the eastern part of the historical center of the city.   SHORT HISTORY OF PIAZZA CAVOUR In 1861, after the unification of Italy, the engineers Gabuzzi, De Bosis, Bianchi and Daretti drew an urban expansion plan for Ancona. The plan included the construction of a square, designed in detail in 1862 and inaugurated in 1868. In the center of the square was placed a monument to Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, the work of Aristodemo Costoli. Piazza Cavour, with an area of three hectares, was designed together with Corso Vittorio Emanuele, now Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi, which starts from the square. The square was then on the edge of the urban area, in contact with a section of the city walls. Porta Cavour, a city gate with a double arch, opened in the walls that bordered the square. Between 1923 and 1925, Porta Cavour and the stretch of wall that bordered the square were demolished to allow the expansion of the city along the axis of Viale della Vittoria. Since then, Piazza Cavour assumed a new role, becoming a link between the historical districts of the city and the Read more [...]