Sant'Agostino Church, Roman Catholic church in Amatrice, Italy.
Sant'Agostino is a ruined church in Amatrice, built in 1428 by the Augustinians. Its façade of local sandstone has a late Gothic–Romanesque marble portal with capitals carved with a bear and a caryatid; the architrave bears the date 1428 and Amatrice's coat of arms. The 2016–17 earthquakes destroyed the roof, upper façade, rose window, bell tower and right wall, leaving only the portal and left wall standing.
The Augustinians built the church in 1428 as San Nicola di Bari, next to the Porta Carbonara and the town walls; a façade plaque names Giovanni dell'Amatrice as architect. Fires in 1580 and 1781 destroyed the interior and part of the apse, prompting repairs through the 19th century; the unsafe vault was demolished in 1845. It was rededicated to Saint Augustine in the 18th century. The 24 August 2016 earthquake brought down the roof and upper façade, and the bell tower fell on 18 January 2017.
The three frescoes on the left wall were uncovered in 1894. The Annunciation is dated 1491 and is attributed to a painter influenced by Carlo Crivelli, or to Dionisio Cappelli; the enthroned Madonna and Child is dated 1497 and was painted over an older fresco whose figures still show through. The Madonna del Rosario came later, with Saint Dominic and Saint Catherine.
The structure is in a damaged condition and access may be limited or restricted. Visitors should check locally about safety conditions and current accessibility before planning a visit.
The 1845 demolition of the unsafe vault was not the only loss: the lunette sculptures of the Madonna and the Archangel Gabriel were stolen in the 20th century. The portal's capitals still show a bear on the left and a caryatid on the right.
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