Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore, Parish church in Francavilla al Mare, Italy.

Santa Maria Maggiore is a parish church in Francavilla al Mare featuring an irregular octagonal layout with a central hall surrounded by an ambulatory and high vaulted ceilings. The building rests on a stone base in the upper part of the city and functions as the main religious center for local residents.

The first church, dedicated to San Franco, was built around the 13th century over a temple where the Basilian pilgrim Franco da Catanzaro had stopped in the 10th century. It was burned by the Turks in the summer of 1566 and later rebuilt. In December 1943 Nazi troops mined and destroyed it along with the rest of the historic centre. The new church, designed by Ludovico Quaroni after a 1948 competition, was built on the ruins.

The church keeps the monstrance by Nicola da Guardiagrele, saved when the Turks set fire to the parish in summer 1566. In 1574 the Dominican Serafino Razzi founded here the Confraternity of the Most Holy Sacrament, which cared for Holy Week rites. A chapel for Albanians existed in 1488, enlarged in 1519 and dedicated to Santa Veneranda.

The church is located in an elevated area of the city at Largo San Franco and is easily accessible from the town center. Visitors should keep in mind that regular services are held, which may affect visiting times.

The architectural design blends ecclesiastical traditions from before and after Vatican II through its central hall plan and modern artistic elements. This combination shows how church architecture evolved in the post-war period.