San Francesco Church

Potenza, Italy

San Francesco is a romanesque-Gothic-stylechurch in the city of Potenza. The church was erected in 1274 with a tall Gothic facade with a large circular window. The 16th-century portal has the monogram of St Bernardino da Siena.

Among the artworks are a fresco depicting Martyrdom of St Sebastian (1545-1566) by Giovanni Todisco of Abriola. On the right wall is a stone tomb of Donato De Grassis (1534). The walls have 14th-century frescoes of St Clare and St Francis.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 1274
Category: Religious sites in Italy

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

linus bacayan (16 months ago)
a good place to visit because its historical church, the birth place of blessed bonaventure of potenza
Barbara Coviello (3 years ago)
A welcoming refuge for the spirit. The church, founded just 40 years after the death of St. Francis, houses two small frescoes of St. Francis and St. Clare, which tradition says were painted according to the precise instructions of a brother of the Saint from Assisi. The fourteenth-century icon of the Madonna del Terremoto is also of notable beauty.
Sergio S. (4 years ago)
To the north of the church of the Holy Trinity, immediately behind the city walls, in the second half of the thirteenth century, one of the first Franciscan settlements in Basilicata rose. The canonical date of the convent located on the crest of the hill, and at the same time in the heart of the historical centre, is reported as 1265, and the date of the church of S. Francesco as 1274. However, the church probably stands on the remains of a pre-existing early Romanesque oratory.
Giuseppe Tangreda (5 years ago)
Magical place steeped in history .. Very ancient convent circa 1260... Inside the church, with a single nave, There are remarkable frescoes by Todisco (Martyrdom of San Sebastiano) Canvases by Pietrafesa, including his first work in the sacristy; The Pietà of 1608. Even the original fourteenth-century bell tower is very remarkable despite having been remodeled over time
Antonio Vergallo (6 years ago)
The church of San Francesco was born in 1246, forty years after the saint's death. The facade is made up of exposed squared stone. The ancient convent of 1200 is almost totally devoid of current historical and artistic testimonies. On the left facade of the church there is the portal that leads to the sixteenth-century cloister. It has a six-arched portico which ends with a 16th century wooden door and a 15th century portal which gives access to the internal rooms of the sacristy and the new convent. Internally the church has a simple and schematic layout, typical of the ancient Franciscan churches of the early days with a single nave and the altar. Important artistic elements are a work that represents the martyrdom of San Sebastiano, a tempera on panel donated to the church and dating back to 1852, which represents the Madonna with the child. An interesting visit.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Bengtskär Lighthouse

Towering 52 meters above the sea, Bengtskär lighthouse is the tallest one in Scandinavia. The building started in in 1905 after the shipwreck of S/S Helsingfors and was completed in 1906. The lighthouse was designed by architect Florentin Granholm. On December a special petrol lantern, designed and built in Paris, was brought to Bengtskär and installed atop the tower.

German fleet bombarded Bengstkär in the First World War in 1914. Since the Gulf of Finland was heavily mined, it was not until 1919 that the surrounding seas were declared safe for shipping, that the light was lit again.

After the war the military value of Bengtskär increased as part of the defence system of independent Finland. In Second World War (1941) Soviet Union made a suprise attack to island. After a bloody battle, the small Finnish garrison emerged victorious. Intermittent repairs to the facility continued during the post-war period.