San Francesco (1354)

The original church here, which was dedicated to the Virgin, was destroyed (like the rest of Trevi) in 1214.  St Francis visited the city at about this time and tradition has it that he established a Franciscan community here.  However, the first documented reference to such a community dates to 1285, when Pope Honorius IV empowered the guardian of the convent to absolve the people of Trevi from excommunication.  (They had been excommunicated for helping Perugia in its war against Foligno). 

Santa Maria (13th century)

The church rebuilt later in the 13th century below the level of the present structure.   (It is not clear whether this was before or  after the arrival of the Franciscans.) 

This church now houses the Museo della Civiltà dell' Olivo.  In the work that created this new space, the original facade was discovered below that of the later church.  The original portal now serves as the entrance to the museum.  

The sculpted tympanum, the rose window and two reliefs to the sides (of a king or emperor and a pope) were moved at this time to to the tympanum of the new building.  An inscription along the lower end of the tympanum reads:

Plaster casts of the inscribed tympanum and the reliefs are exhibited in the Museo della Città.

In 1291, Pope Nicholas IV granted indulgences to those visiting the church on certain feast days, presumably to help with the financing of its extension and decoration.  The Blessed Ventura was buried here in 1310 and the church was re-dedicated in his honour at that time.  His remains were housed in a Roman sarcophagus that was probably under the high altar. 

San Francesco

Work began on the present church in 1354.  It was sponsored by the Commune, and the new church  was of civic as well as ecclesiastical importance.   What was now the lower church served as a cemetery and housed graves that had memorial slabs in the pavement of the church above.

The relics of the Blessed Ventura were translated to the high altar of the new church, probably as soon as it was ready to receive them.  The church was re-dedicated as San Francesco in 1477 and the relics of the Blessed Ventura remained largely forgotten until they were re-discovered in 1593 (see the page on the interior of San Francesco).

The community was suppressed in 1810 during the Napoleonic occupation.  The church was restored in 1910 and re-opened briefly but is now de-consecrated. 

Exterior

The apse and campanile (illustrated above) and the right wall can be seen from the outside but the facade (except for its upper part) is obscured by a wing of the new Collegio Lucarini in 1832.

The facade had to be strengthened in 1569, and it was probably at this point that its portal was moved to the right wall. 

The fresco (14th century) in its lunette, which is attributed to Maestro dell’ Abside Destra di San Francesco di Montefalco, depicts the Madonna and Child enthroned with SS Francis and Clare.

Proceed to the page on the interior of San Francesco.

Convent

The adjoining convent was rebuilt in 1640-50 but closed in 1810.

Cardinal Emmanuele de Gregorio acquired the buildings in 1833.  He commissioned Giuseppe Valadier to adapt it for use by the Collegio Lucarini, which was moved here (via Palazzo Valenti opposite) from Palazzo Lucarini (see the Trevi walk) after the earthquake of 1832.  The college, which passed in 1863 to the Salesians, closed in 1963

The complex was restored in the 1990s and now houses the Museo Civico, the Pinacoteca and the Museo della Civiltà dell' Olivo.

Scenes from the life of St Francis (1645)

These frescoes in the lunettes around the central cloister are by Bernardino Gagliardi.  Inscriptions below commemorate the noble families that paid for them.  Some of the scenes have disappeared, others were repainted in the 18th century, and some were restored in 2001.

Return to the walk around Trevi.