San Francesco d'Assisi, Gothic Revival church building in Ancona, Italy
San Francesco d'Assisi is a Gothic Revival church in Ancona featuring a symmetrical façade with pointed arches and ribbed vaults. The building displays characteristic elements of this style including structured buttresses and detailed stone carvings throughout.
The church was completed in 1899 to a design by Fra' Angelo da Cassano d'Adda, replacing the 17th-century Santa Caterina church that stood below the old Cappuccini lighthouse and was taken over by the state after 1860. The adjoining convent, abandoned by the friars, first housed the central library of the Cappuccini friars of the Marche and was sold to private owners in 2011.
The church is commonly called dei Cappuccini, after the Capuchin friars who built it. Its altarpieces are by Fra' Paolo Mussini, and the Conversion of Saint Paul is by Taddeo Zuccari, brought here from the first Capuchin church in Ancona, a 16th-century building. The adjoining convent, abandoned by the friars, later housed the central library of the Capuchins of the Marche before being sold to private owners in 2011.
The church stands on a small hill between the Grazie and Piano districts and is reached only by a long tree-lined lane, so allow time to walk up. The adjacent convent, abandoned by the friars, housed the Capuchins' central library for the Marche before being sold to private owners in 2011.
The church preserves a 16th-century painting by Taddeo Zuccari, the Conversione di San Paolo, brought here from Ancona's first Capuchin church. The adjacent convent, abandoned by the friars, housed the central library of the Marche Capuchins before being sold to private owners in 2011.
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