Church of San Francesco (Valfornace)

History of the Church of San Francesco

Tradition places the origin of the complex in 1215. In that year St. Francis, traveling through Le Marche, is said to have stayed in a nearby wood. An episode from the Fioretti (Little Flowers of St. Francis) is linked to the building of the convent: the saint is said to have turned the well water into wine to quench the thirst of the workers on the first building.

The current appearance of the church and convent dates from the late 14th century. The convent was later rebuilt in the 18th century.

What to see in the Church of San Francesco

The architecture retains two-light windows, apses, a Gothic triumphal arch and a nave with a timber truss roof. Inside there were also important works of art, now inaccessible because the building is unsafe. A 19th-century copy of a 14th-century crucifix, similar to the one in San Damiano in Assisi, replaces the original. According to tradition, the original had been given to the convent by St. Francis, but it was destroyed in a fire in 1892.

Fragments of frescoes remain, showing the Crucifixion, Mary Magdalene and some faces of angels, attributed to Cola di Pietro. The Madonna della Misericordia on the high altar, frescoed and moved together with the entire wall, is by the Camerino painter Giovanni Angelo d'Antonio; it was once attributed to Girolamo di Giovanni. Under the portico, traces of 13th- and 15th-century frescoes with episodes from the life of St. Francis are still visible.

How to visit the Church of San Francesco

The interior cannot be visited. The bell tower partly collapsed in the earthquake of October 30, 2016, and the mayor at the time feared it would fall onto the apse. Before setting out, it is advisable to check the current condition of the area.

Where the Church of San Francesco is located

The convent stands a few kilometers from the village of Pievebovigliana, in the hamlet of Pontelatrave, on the road from Tolentino to Foligno. The site lies where the municipalities of Valfornace, Cessapalombo, Fiastra and Caldarola meet.

Around the Church of San Francesco in Valfornace

The Romanesque bridge of Pontelatrave, between the Beldiletto Castle and the convent, was the main access to Pievebovigliana and its valley. In the village of Pievebovigliana, the medieval Church of Santa Maria Assunta has a Romanesque crypt. In the hamlet of San Maroto is the Chiesa di San Giusto, considered one of the most important Romanesque monuments in the region.

Valfornace is also home to the Church of Rosario in Valfornace, a Baroque parish church built in the 17th century. Other sacred buildings in the area are on the page churches of the Sibillini Mountains.