San Francesco al Prato church, Romanesque church in Perugia, Italy.
San Francesco al Prato in Perugia is a Romanesque building with a single nave that ends in a polygonal apse. The reconstructed facade displays geometric patterns in white and pink, and the structure now houses the local Academy of Fine Arts.
The church was founded in 1251 by Franciscan minors and faced repeated structural challenges due to its soft foundation. A major rebuild was carried out in the 18th century by Pietro Carattoli.
The name refers to the meadow where it was built, and the building served as an important center for religious learning and community life. The structure still shows how space was organized for monastic purposes and worship.
The building is today open to visitors since it houses the Academy of Fine Arts, though its original interior layout has been altered for this new use. It is worth viewing the facade from outside, and asking about current access if you wish to see inside.
The building struggled with severe stability problems that required demolishing the dome, the nave vaults, and parts of the apse walls. These drastic measures reveal how difficult it was to maintain a large structure on soft ground.
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