Oratorio dei Pellegrini (1457)


Image courtesy of Photoroma

A group of pilgrims who returned to Assisi in 1417 after a pilgrimage to Santiago di Compostella founded a confraternity dedicated to San Giacomo Maggiore.  It was merged with the Confraternita di San Antonio Abate in 1425. 

The merged confraternity built this oratory and an adjoining hospice to the right to cater for pilgrims visiting the shrine at San Francesco.  The oratory survives but  the hospice was demolished in 1883. 

Frescoes (early 15th century) by Ottaviano Nelli and his workshop were detached from the facadeof the hospice at the time of its demolition are now in the Pinacoteca.   The neo-Romanesque building that replaced it now houses the Suore Francescane Misionarie del Giglio.

Frescoes

Fresoes (1468) by Matteo da Gualdo include:

  • Christ in Glory with SS James and Antony Abbot

    This worn fresco is on the exterior, above the entrance.


  • Image courtesy of Photoroma
    Frescoes on the altar wall
These frescoes depict:

    • the Madonna and Child with musical angels;

    • St James (on the left);

    • St Antony Abbot (on the right); and

    • the Annunciation (above). 

The signature and date are given in the painted tablet on the left.

Frescoes (1477) by Pierantonio Mezzastris da Foligno include:

  • Scenes from the life of St Antony Abbot
    In these two scenes on the left wall:

    • St Antony welcomes camels that arrive at his hermitage in the desert miraculously laden with food for the poor (on the left); and

    • St Antony distributes money to poor people who come to his hermitage (on the right).

  • Miracles of St James
    These two scenes on the right wall depict a series of miracles that helped a family of pilgrims en route for Santiago di Compostella when the son as wrongly accused of theft: a chicken comes to life on the table of the judges to proclaim his innocence (on the left) and St James appears to save him from hanging (on the right).  The signature of the artist is on the tablecloth in the first scene.
  • Other frescoes:
    These depict

    • the Doctors of the church (in the vaults); and

    • Christ blessing and SS James and Antony Abbot (on the counter-facade).

The figure of St Ansanus (1477) to the right on the counter-façade was once attributed to the young Perugino, but is now thought to be by Andrea d' Assisi (l' Ingegno).

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