Church of Santissima Annunziata (Camerino)

History of the Church of Santissima Annunziata

The present cathedral was born from an earthquake. On June 28, 1799 an earthquake badly damaged the previous Romanesque-Gothic cathedral, built between the 12th and 13th centuries. The rebuilding was entrusted to Andrea Vici, a pupil of Vanvitelli. On July 6, 1800 the third of his designs was approved, which called for demolishing what remained and building a church on a Latin-cross plan.

Work resumed about ten years later under the direction of the engineer Clemente Folchi, Vici's son-in-law. Andrea Vici died in 1817. The cathedral was consecrated on September 8, 1832.

What to see in the Church of Santissima Annunziata

The facade has two bell towers. The portico in front of the church continues that of the Bishop's Palace.

The interior and the sacristies hold a 13th-century polychrome wooden Crucifix, a 15th-century Madonna della Misericordia and canvases by 17th-century Mannerist painters. The crypt holds two stone lions by Armanno da Pioraco (late 13th century) and the busts of Cardinal Angelo Giori and his brother Prospero, from Bernini's workshop. It also holds the marble tomb of Sant'Ansovino, bishop of Camerino in the Carolingian age. The tomb dates from the 14th-15th century, in Tuscan Gothic style, with a bestiary, statues of virtues and a stone Madonna on the top tier.

The polyptych by Carlo Crivelli (around 1490) is no longer in the cathedral. Today it is split up among museums in Europe and the United States, and the central panel is in the Pinacoteca di Brera, in Milan.

Visiting the Church of Santissima Annunziata

The cathedral is currently closed. The restoration site, opened on December 7, 2024, is worth about €7.4 million. The works were expected to be completed in about three years. Before planning a visit, it is best to check the progress of the works.

Where the Church of Santissima Annunziata is located

The cathedral is in Camerino, on the city's main square, in the northern part of the center.

Around the Church of Santissima Annunziata

The same city is home to the Basilica of San Venanzio in Camerino. Other churches in the area are collected on the churches of the Sibillini Mountains page.