Santa Maria di Plestia

(11th century, extended in1269)

This church was probably built on the site of an early Christian basilica in Plestia, a Roman settlement at the junction of Via Flaminia and Via della Spina.   It stands on the site of the forum, and two Roman houses have been excavated nearby.  Fragments incorporated into the fabric of the church provided further evidence of the Roman settlement.

A bishop was recorded here in 499 and again in 502, at synods held by Pope Symmachus.  The diocese was absorbed by that of Nocera Umbra in 1006.

The oldest parts of the church are the apse and crypt, which is divided by 12 columns into a nave with two aisles to each side:

• The nave of the church above was added in 1269.
  

• The portico was added in the 15th century. 

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