All Churches

The Church of San Pietro is a church in Assisi, located in Piazza San Pietro, on the edge of the historical center of the town. The adjacent abbey houses a community of monks from the Benedictine Cassinese Congregation.   SHORT HISTORY The Church of Saint Peter was built at the end of the 10th century, outside the city walls of Assisi, near an ancient Roman necropolis. The presence of the monastery was documented since 1029, through a manuscript preserved in the archives of the Cathedral of San Rufino. In the first half of the 13th century, the history of the community of Saint Peter was intertwined with that of Saint Francis. The blessed Peter, abbot of Assisi, whose name is mentioned in a document of 1209, gave to Saint Francis the silver chalice which is still preserved in the Chapel of the Relics of the Sacred Convent. Around 1252, after they lived in the monastery for over two centuries, the Benedictines abandoned the place, and were replaced by the Cistercians, who completed the construction of the abbey and the church, which was consecrated in 1254 by Pope Innocent IV. On the same occasion, the pontiff consecrated the Cathedral of San Read more [...]

The Basilica of Sant’Eufemia rises inside the Archbishop’s Palace, near the Piazza del Duomo, on a place that was once occupied by the palace of the Lombard Dukes of Spoleto.   SHORT HISTORY The first information about the monastery and the church of S. Eufemia dates back to the 10th century, when the Benedictine monk Giovanni Cassinese wrote about the life of S. Giovanni, Archbishop of Spoleto. In the 12th century, the church was encompassed by the Palazzo Vescovile (the Archbishop’s Palace). At the end of the 14th century, a painter was commissioned to paint the complex of the palace. At the middle of the 15th century, the Spoleto diocese was run by the Patriarch of Alexandria, the venetian Marco Condulmer, and the church seems to have changed its title from S. Eufemia to S. Lucia.   HOW TO GET THERE After you visit the Cathedral of the Assumption of Saint Mary, in Piazza del Duomo, you can easily get to the Church of Sant’Eufemia, only 100 meters away. If you need precise directions from anywhere in the city, use the map below.

Buy tickets & tours:VivaTicket Spoleto Cathedral (Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta or the Duomo di Spoleto) is a beautiful church in Spoleto dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.   SHORT HISTORY The Spoleto Cathedral was built at the end of the 12th century, replacing the building of Santa Maria del Vescovato, which was dating back to the 8th or 9th century. Earlier, on this place, was an ancient christian temple dedicated to the martyr Primiano di Larino. The crypt of San Primiano, from the 9th century, represents the only remaining element of the building that stood on this place.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE On the façade of the church, embellished by the mosaic of Solsterno, are the arcades of the portico built in 1491 by Ambrogio Barocci. Inside the Cathedral, you can find numerous works of art. At the beginning of the left aisle, you can admire the painting by Alberto Sotio (around 1187). The apse has a remarkable painting with Stories of the Virgin by Filippo Lippi, made between 1467 and 1469. You can also find here a bronze sculpture of Urbano VIII by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and a painting by Annibale Carracci. Interesting is the Read more [...]

The Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli is a papal basilica in Assisi, located outside the city walls, about 3 kilometers away from the historical center. The basilica shelters the Porziuncola, a small chapel where the Franciscan movement started, the most sacred place for the Franciscan order.   SHORT HISTORY Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels was built between 1565 and 1685 on a project by Galeazzo Alessi, an italian architect from Perugia. The construction took a long time due to the constant lack of money, because the church was financed only from donations. The earthquake of March 15, 1832, damaged the church beyond repair. The reconstruction of the basilica started in 1836 and was completed 4 years later, in 1840. The architect in charge for the reconstruction was Luigi Poletti. During the reconstruction, the facade of the church was remodeled in a Neoclassical style. Between 1924 and 1930, the architect Cesare Bazzani returned the facade to its original appearance.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE The basilica is built in a Mannerist style and has a Latin cross plan, 126 meters long and 65 meters wide. The interior has three naves and a large dome, 79 meters high, and is Read more [...]

In the central square of Assisi, there is an ancient Roman temple from the first century of our era, the Temple of Minerva, which was dedicated to the goddess of wisdom and peace from the pagan age. Today, the temple houses the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva.   SHORT HISTORY Around the years 28-25 BC, during the time of emperor Augustus, the Roman Forum of Assisi was structured, various temples were built and the city wall was completed. About the same time, the Temple of Minerva was erected. When the pagan cult ceased, the Temple of Minerva remained abandoned and silent for over a century, until the second half of the 5th century, when the Benedictine monks restored the building and began to use it as a church. With the document of May 24, 1212, the Benedictines granted for rent, for a hundred years, all the rooms of the temple to the city of Assisi. In 1539, Pope Paul III, visiting Assisi, ordered that the Temple of Minerva to be restored and dedicated to Saint Mary. The structure was named Santa Maria sopra Minerva. In 1613, the Bishop of Assisi, Marcello Crescenzi, with the consent of the city council, Read more [...]

The Church of Saint Susanna at the Baths of Diocletian (Chiesa di Santa Susanna alle Terme di Diocleziano) is a beautiful church in Rome, located about 250 meters from Piazza della Repubblica.   SHORT HISTORY The Church of Santa Susanna is one of the oldest churches in Rome. The original place of worship was built around the year 280 AD on the remains of three Roman villas, outside the wall of the Baths of Diocletian and the Servian Wall, the first wall built to defend the city. According to tradition, the church was built on the site of the House of Susanna, where the Saint was martyred in 294 AD. Excavations made in the 19th century, actually brought to light the remains of a Roman house from the 3rd century, now visible through the glass paving of the sacristy. Other excavations from 1990 brought to light a Roman sarcophagus with fragments of painted plaster inside. Pope Sergius I restored the church at the end of the 7th century, Pope Leo III rebuilt it from the ground in 796. In 1475, the church was rebuilt again by Pope Sixtus IV. The facade of the church was completed in Baroque style in Read more [...]

Rising at the entrance to the Grand Canal, the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute is one of the defining monuments of Venice. Its great dome dominates the view from the Bacino di San Marco, while its marble mass marks the tip of Dorsoduro beside Punta della Dogana. Commonly called La Salute, the church stands between the Grand Canal and the Giudecca Canal, directly across the water from Piazza San Marco. From the square, La Salute appears as a theatrical counterpoint to the Doge’s Palace, San Giorgio Maggiore and the long waterfront of the city. The church was built as an ex voto after the plague of 1630-1631, when Venice suffered one of the most destructive epidemics in its history. The Republic promised a sanctuary to the Virgin Mary, under the title of Santa Maria della Salute, meaning Saint Mary of Health or Salvation. Designed by Baldassare Longhena, the church combines religious symbolism, difficult lagoon engineering and Venetian Baroque architecture. The building is not a longitudinal church with a traditional nave. Its main space is centralized, octagonal and luminous, organized around a massive dome and a sequence of Marian altars. Inside, visitors find works by Titian, Luca Giordano, Tintoretto, Pietro Read more [...]

The Basilica of Santa Maria in Montesanto is a church in Rome, located in Piazza del Popolo, between Via del Corso and Via del Babuino. Although there are some differences, the edifice is popularly known as the twin church of the Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli, located nearby. The Basilica of Santa Maria in Montesanto has an elliptical plan and a dodecagonal dome, while its twin has a circular plan and an octagonal dome.   SHORT HISTORY In the 17th century, the Basilica of Santa Maria in Montesanto replaced a small church which belonged to the Carmelite friars of the province of Monte Santo, in Sicily, hence the name. The construction began in 1662 on the initiative of Pope Alexander VII after a design by Carlo Rainaldi. Following the death of the pope in 1667, the construction works were interrupted. The works were resumed in 1673, under the direction of Carlo Fontana and the supervision of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and the structure was completed in 1679. The bell-tower of the church, built on a design by Francesco Navone, was finished in 1761. In 1953, the church became the seat of the Mass of the artists, an initiative conceived by Read more [...]

The Church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (Chiesa di Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore), also known as the Church of San Giacomo degli Spagnoli, is a church in Rome, located between Corso del Rinascimento and Piazza Navona.   SHORT HISTORY A first church was erected on this site in the 13th century, and dedicated to Saint James the Great, the patron saint of Spain. In 1440, the church was completely rebuilt at the expense of Alfonso de Paradinas. The facade was the work of the architect Bernardo Rossellino. Pope Alexander VI Borgia ordered new expansion works on the church, widened the square in front of the entrance on Via della Sapienza, and moved to the annexed buildings the hospices for Spanish pilgrims. In 1506, the Church of San Giacomo became the national church of the Spanish community in Rome. In 1518, the church was again remodeled by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, who would later become the architect of all the papal buildings. In 1818, after a period of neglect, the church was abandoned by the Spanish community in favor of the Church of Santa Maria di Monserrato, where the furnishings and tombs were also transferred. In 1878, Read more [...]

The Church of Santa Maria di Loreto is a beautiful church located in Piazza Venezia, in Rome, close to the Trajan’s Column and the Forum of Trajan.   SHORT HISTORY In 1500, the Congregation of Bakers (Congregazione dei Fornai) obtained from Pope Alexander VI a small chapel, which was demolished to build the current church. The works, based on a project by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, were started in 1507. The dome of the church was built by Giacomo del Duca in 1582. In the 19th century, the church was restored by Luca Carimini, and completed with a presbytery by Giuseppe Sacconi, the architect of the nearby National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE The architecture of the church is characterized by pilasters in travertine that stand out on the brick walls, and is notable for the beauty of its proportions. The project is characterized by simple overlapping volumes – the body of the church with a square plan, surmounted by the octagonal volume of the drum, on which is placed the dome. At the top of the dome, we can find the lantern, with a very elaborate shape. The interior is octagonal in shape, with Read more [...]

The Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli is a church located on the Capitoline Hill, in Rome, known for housing the relics of Saint Helena, mother of emperor Constantine the Great.   SHORT HISTORY A first church was built on this site in the 6th century, on the ruins of a Temple dedicated to Juno Moneta. In the 9th century, the church was taken over by the papacy. Near the end of the 12th century, Palazzo Senatorio (Senatorial Palace) was built on the Capitoline Hill, and the area started to develop. In 1250, Pope Innocent IV granted the ownership of the church to the Franciscan Order. The Franciscans restored the church, giving it its current Romanesque-Gothic appearance. The imposing marble staircase was built in 1348, as a vow to the Virgin, to put an end to the plague that raged throughout Europe. During the occupation of Rome, in 1797, the French took possession of the hill, killing the Franciscan friars and reducing the church to a stable. The restorations of the church began as early as 1799, the small Temple of Saint Helena was rebuilt in 1833, and the new organ of the choir was inaugurated in 1848. With the Read more [...]