Oratory of St John the Baptist and St Anthony abbot, Gothic chapel and religious museum in Urbino, Italy.
The Oratory of St John the Baptist and St Anthony abbot is a Gothic chapel in Urbino with elaborately painted interior walls depicting biblical scenes. The space features a wooden ceiling shaped like a ship's hull and a Crucifixion image above the altar.
The oratory was built from 1365, when the Lateran Chapter granted Ugolino Finelli of the confraternity the right to build on the site of a hospital for the sick and pilgrims, and was finished in 1393. By 1416 Lorenzo and Jacopo Salimbeni had completed the frescoes on all four interior walls. The facade was rebuilt in Neo-Gothic style in the early 20th century to a design by Diomede Catalucci.
The Salimbeni brothers from San Severino Marche created the interior frescoes in the International Gothic style. Their work displays the detailed approach typical of that artistic tradition.
The chapel is located in Urbino's old town and is easily reached on foot. Visitors should expect small interior spaces and should plan their visit accordingly to see the frescoes clearly.
Under the altar lie the remains of Blessed Pietro Spagnoli, who spent his last years serving the adjoining hospital and died here in 1415. The left wall also holds a Baptism of Christ by an unknown 15th-century Marche painter, alongside works by Antonio Alberti da Ferrara.
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