Chiesa di San Francesco, Gothic church building in central Orvieto, Italy
The Chiesa di San Francesco is a Gothic church with a single nave, wide arches, and a quadrangular apse located in southern Orvieto's old town. The interior features a wooden trussed roof spanning approximately 22 meters in width that shapes the character of the space.
The Franciscans built this church in 1234, replacing an earlier Benedictine monastery that once stood on the site. Pope Clement IV consecrated the building as San Francesco in 1266, establishing it as an important religious center.
The church holds three 16th-century altarpieces by Cesare Nebbia that depict religious scenes including the Immaculate Conception and Christ in Judgment. These works remain visible in their original locations today and show the artistic quality the building has maintained.
The church sits on Via Ippolito Scalza in the southern part of the historic center, within easy walking distance of the cathedral and craft-oriented streets. The central location makes it simple for visitors to combine a stop here with exploring other nearby landmarks.
The only medieval fresco to survive the 1768–1773 Baroque remodelling is Piero di Puccio's later-14th-century cycle of three episodes from the life of Saint Matthew, rediscovered in the chapel left of the presbytery during the 1999 restoration. Stucco and side chapels had covered the church's other medieval paintings.
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