Chiesa di San Francesco, Gothic church in Fermo, Italy
Chiesa di San Francesco stands against Fermo's walls, 65 metres long and just over 40 wide, the city's second-largest church after the cathedral. Inside, a single hall is split into three naves by slender round pillars supporting cross vaults, ending in a polygonal apse; the bell tower dates from around 1425.
The Friars Minor built the church against the town walls between the late 13th and early 14th century. The bell tower followed around 1425, and the Euffreducci chapel was added in 1527. After the 1703 earthquake the roof was repaired and the facade rebuilt a few years later, keeping the 1604 portal. Twentieth-century restorations removed most post-medieval additions.
The church belongs to the Franciscan order, whose Friars Minor built it against the town walls. In the right nave, the Euffreducci chapel of 1527 holds the tomb of Lodovico Euffreducci, lord of Fermo from 1514, with a reclining figure turned toward the viewer and statues of Faith and Hope in niches. Frescoes of the 14th and 15th centuries, attributed to Giuliano da Rimini, were plastered over in the 17th century and later rediscovered.
The church sits in the heart of Fermo and is accessible by walking through the historic streets of the old town. It serves as a natural landmark that helps orient visitors navigating the area.
The 14th- and 15th-century frescoes beside the apse, attributed to Giuliano da Rimini, were covered with light brown plaster in the 17th century and later rediscovered. The 1609 canvas by Gaspare Celio, a Madonna and Child with Saints Anthony Abbot and Mary Magdalene, hangs in the right nave without the altar it once had, removed in the 20th-century restorations.
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