San Francesco (1796-1856)


The Franciscans acquired the small ‘private” church of San Matteo (ca. 1095) in the middle of 13th century.  This church stood outside Porta San Matteo, a gate in the wall (1244) that the Emperor Frederick II had built to protect the nearby imperial palace. 

In 1255, after Perugia’s victory over Foligno, Pope Alexander IV gave the imperial palace to the Franciscans, and they also acquired other nearby buildings.  A noblewoman, Margherita di Filippo Ofreduti endowed the new foundation, and the Franciscans soon built a new church that incorporated San Matteo (see below) as a chapel to the right of the presbytery. 

The construction of the presbytery itself required the demolition of a short stretch of the wall.  The sacristy was built against the part of the wall that included the Porta San Matteo, and the next stretch of wall, which ran behind the imperial palace, became the back wall of the convent.

The Franciscans also used a tower in the walls as the base of their original campanile, which stood to the left of the presbytery.   This was subsequently demolished, although its base is still visible (see Walk II).  The present campanile was built to the right of the church in 1911.




The church was completely re-modeled in the neo-Classical style in the period 1796-1856.  The new façade was completed in 1886.

Convent

As mentioned above, the convent was built on the site of the old Imperial palace.  It was suppressed in 1860 and adapted as a barracks.

The entrance to the cloister of the convent is to the left of the facade of the church.  Ring the bell here to request a visit to the Cappella di San Matteo, which also allows you to see the cloister and (on request) the old Chapter Room.


Madonna and child with saints (1499)

The black and white photograph in the lunette over the entrance to the convent records the original  fresco, which is signed  by Pierantonio Mezzastris and dated by inscription.  This fresco, which depicts the Madonna and Child with SS John the Baptist and Francis, was detached in ca. 1860 and is now in the Pinacoteca Civica (Room 1, number 36).  The original decoration of the top of the aedicule survives in situ.




Crucifixion (14th century)

This damaged fresco is on the back wall of the old Chapter Room.

Interior of the Church


The original church was in the form of a Latin cross.  A second nave was built to the left in the 14th century to accommodate a series of interconnecting family chapels.  It owes its present appearance to the re-modelling of 1796-1856.

San Francesco contains the relics of two important Franciscan women:












A sarcophagus above the 3rd altar on the right contains the relics of the Blessed James and Philip, two Franciscans who were murdered in Bevagna in 1377 by Breton mercenaries in the service of Trincia Trinci.

Vision of Blessed Angela of Foligno (1791)

Bishop Filippo Trenta  commissioned this altarpiece from Gaetano Gandolfi for the altar dedicated to her (2nd altar on left).  It depicts the Blessed Angela dressed as a tertiary Franciscan: she has a vision of Christ in glory above Foligno.

Cappella di San Matteo


This important chapel can be visited on request at the adjacent convent.  It is formed  from the original church of San Matteo and a contiguous space to the right.

Crucifixion with saints (14th century)

This fresco of the Crucifixion with the Virgin, SS John the Evangelist and the kneeling Mary Magdalene and a Roman soldier is high up on the right wall, above the door to the sacristy.

Bishop saint (14th century)

This fresco, which might depict St Felician, is on the pilaster on the right wall.

Votive frescoes (14th century)

These frescoes on the right wall depict:

  • the assumption of the Virgin; and

  • St Catharine of Alexandria.

Franciscan saints (14th century)

This fresco of two Franciscan saints (perhaps SS Francis and Antony of Padua) is on the back wall, to the right of the window.

Male saints (14th century)

This fresco of two male saints (perhaps SS James and Matthew) is on the left wall.






Fresco fragment (14th century)

This fragment depicting a crowd possibly came from a scene depicting St Francis preaching.

Votive frescoes (14th century)

These frescoes on the back wall depict:

  • the Virgin Annunciate;
  • the mystical marriage of St Catherine; and
  • St Peter.

Way to Calvary (late 14th or early 15th century)

This fresco, which is attributed to the Maestro dell’ Abside Destra di San Francesco di Montefalco, is to the right of the right wall.

SS Sebastian and Roch (1496)

This fresco, which is low down to the right of the right wall, seems to have been the work for which Ugolino di Gisberto was paid in 1496.

Art from the Church

Madonna and Child with St Simon (late 15th century)

This detached fresco, which is attributed to Pierantonio Mezzastris, came from Chapter Room and is now in the Pinacoteca Civica (Room 1, number 29).  It depicts   St Simon offering two doves to the Child, in a scene from the Presentation at the Temple.

Madonna and Child with saints (late 15th century)

This detached fresco, which is attributed to Pierantonio Mezzastris, came from the Chapter Room  and is now in the Pinacoteca Civica (Room 1, number 33). 


Return to Walk II.