San Francesco, Former church and museum in Udine, Italy
San Francesco is a deconsecrated former Franciscan church in Udine, built in the 13th century in a plain Romanesque style. Its steep gabled stone facade carries a circular mosaic panel framed in a square, showing a figure with a wolf and the words "TOTUS TERRARUM" and "S. SEVERINO". Below are two tall round-arched windows and a rectangular doorway; the interior has a single nave under wooden trusses and three apse chapels, the central one larger and holding the main altar.
The church was consecrated in 1266 by Bishop Alberto da Colle and served as the center of the Franciscan community for centuries. Following this extended religious use, it later transformed into a cultural venue.
The interior walls display detailed frescoes from the 14th and 15th centuries created by artists from Umbrian-Tuscan and Emilian schools. These works shape the spiritual character of the space and communicate religious narratives through their imagery.
The building is located at Piazza Girolamo Venerio, just a short walk from Udine Cathedral. Several bus lines serving Via Manzoni provide convenient access for visitors.
The Lignum vitae fresco on the right side of the apse is attributed to a painter active in Venice in the second quarter of the 14th century, despite a thin layer of Tuscan manner. Near the entrance, on the left wall, hang detached frescoes of the Stories of Blessed Odoric from 1440.
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