Santa Maria della Pietà, Baroque church in San Severo, Italy
Santa Maria della Pietà is a Baroque building with an ornately designed facade featuring curved lines and layered decorations. The structure was shaped following Italian design principles of the 1600s and displays a wide entrance portal along with decorative columns.
The building was constructed after the earthquake of 1627 that heavily damaged San Severo and forced a rebuilding of the town. The church was erected as part of this reconstruction program and followed the new architectural rules of the period.
The interior displays artistic forms that emerged during the Counter-Reformation, when the church used painting and sculpture to move believers. You can still see today how the decorations emphasize the religious feeling that artists wanted to express.
You enter the building through the wide western portal, which is easily reached from the street. The interior is usually open during daytime hours, but it is best to visit in the morning when light streams through the windows most clearly.
The building uses a special arrangement of openings and surfaces to direct and control light and shadow throughout the space. This creates a movement of light across the day that constantly changes the experience of the interior.
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