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The work of
construction
started in 1785,
using part of the
material recovered from
the demolished
monastery of St. Maria
della Rocca, under the
direction of Pietro
Maggi, native of
Ticino, and the design
of Lazzaro Giosafatti
(1694-1781).
The church was
opened to the public in
1798 and
consecrated in 1801 by
cardinal Giovanni
Andrea Archetti, bishop
of Ascoli Piceno.
The
façade
is a mixture of
greek, roman,
lombard and baroque
style. It is
crowned with a banister
with classical pillars,
grating windows and
shells. The large
central lunette,
supported by two high
monolithic travertine
columns, containing
"
the mosaic of Maria
Assunta".
On
the side of the church
there is a standing
tower, scored
by pillars, terminating
with a cornice in a
travertine
banister.
On the top, on an
octagonal base, stands
the white statue of
the Madonna.
It
is a latin-cross
plan. The main
staff at its extremity
is rounded and forms an
apse.
On
the two wings of the
minor semi circled
staff, there are two
chapels with a
marble banister.
The two chapels are
flanked by a flight of
stairs that leads to
the
crypt, dedicated to
the Madonna of Lourdes.
Its miniature features,
imitate exactly the
famous cave of the
Pyrenees.
In
the centre where the
wings meet, there
stands a
dome, 38 mt.
high, overlooked by
a small dome in a shape
of a small temple
surrounded by
pillars.
On
the four pendentives of
the dome, the Offidian
artists Giuseppe and
Giovanni Battista
Bernardi (XVIII-XIX
centuries) painted four
evangelists, copies of
the originals of
Domenichino (1581-1641)
in St. Andrea della
Valle in Rome. The
temple is divided in
three aisles and is
composed of two wings
of piers on which
slender round
arches.
The church has been
decorated with stuccoes
by Milanese shapers,
Fontana and Bernasconi
(XVIII century).
At the end of the
presbytery, at the
top, there are angels;
some of them hold the
name of Maria, others
throw flowers on the
head of "Maria Assunta
in cielo".
The coffered
vault was
painted in light and
shade effects by the
Offidian Giovanni
Battista Bernardi.
Among the coffers,
fitted in, among the
light and shade
effects, gouache
paintings, work of
Giuseppe, son of
Giovanni Bernardi.
The first
chapel, on the
right, presents a
canvas painting signed
by Simone De Magistris,
that represents "The
souls in
Purgatory".
The second altar
presents a canvas
painting "The Madonna"
and, at her feet, "the
blessed Bernardo" and
"St. Emidio". At the
extremity of the cross
we find two chapels
with two scagliolas
altars imitating at
perfection the
marble.
In the
transept
chapel, there
is a copy of a painting
of Michelangelo
Merighi, known as
Caravaggio (1573-1610),
which reproduces the
burial of Christ. In
this chapel there is
the "Palio del
miracolo", so called
because during the
pestilence of 1850, the
Madonna, from July to
October of the same
year, it moved its
eyes, made the diseases
disappear.
After the chapel of the
Palio there is a
sepulchre, a
part of it in marble
and a part in
scagliola, leaning
against the wall and
decorated with statues
and puttoes. Such
sepulchre represents a
tomb in honour of
captain Nicola
Palmucci.
Behind the higher
altar there is a
horseshoe shaped choir
in walnut, work of the
choir master Alessio
Donati (XVIII
century).
It is distributed in
two choir stalls: the
superior is divided one
from the other, by
pillars, supported by
brackets which had
small elegant wooden
vases on leafage
capitals.
Under the higher
altar there are the
rests of St. Leonardo
(XV century), patron
saint of Offida, whose
relic was donated to
the town of Offida, in
the XIII century, by
the farfensis
monks.
Continuing, onto the
left side of the
presbytery, there is a
"polychromic
crucifix",
sculptured in 1612 by
Desiderio Bonfini of
Patrignone
(1576-1634).
Then we come across
the chapel of the
St. Sacramento
where we can observe
two splendid choir
stalls, carved in
walnut. By the Offidian
G. Zazzetti, designed
by prof. G. Leoni,
dating back to
1920-1921.
Another altar
dedicated to "St. Anna
and Gioacchino".
Then, an altar
with a canvas painting
by Pasquale Magini (XIX
century) representing
the "Madonna del
Rosario", "St. Domenico
di Guzman" and St. Pio
V".
The last chapel
accommodates the
baptismal font and a
painting by prof. Ghino
Leoni, dated 1917,
symbolising "the
baptism of Jesus".
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