Church of Sant'Antonio (Visso)

History of the Church of Sant'Antonio

The church was built in 1349 on land belonging to the Lateran and for a long time depended directly on the Lateran chapter, which received a yearly rent of two pounds of wax. The facade was rebuilt in 1513 and the interior was redone in the 17th century.

The portico in front collapsed at dawn on August 25, 1858, when a violent storm struck the mountains above. The portico was rebuilt that same year, 1858. The interior was restored in 1952 and the roof was redone in 1970.

What to see in the Church of Sant'Antonio

Before the 2016 collapse, the portal had two pillars on plinths bearing the community's coats of arms, decorated with candelabra, branches, flowers and masks. The upper band showed the crossed keys of the Lateran Basilica. The interior was on a Latin-cross plan, with a single nave.

On the left as you entered was a mid-17th-century Baroque altar in carved wood, with twisted columns. It is the work of Silvestro della Sarta, a craftsman from Villa Sant'Antonio. In the large niche the Madonna della Pietà was venerated, a 16th-century wooden group from the school of the Visso woodcarvers, stolen in 1976 and very similar to the one in the Sanctuary of Macereto. The walls of the apse were frescoed in 1953 by the Capuchin friar Padre Guido d'Assisi. The paintings showed the Good Shepherd with his flock, the symbols of the four Evangelists and two large angels copied from Fra Angelico.

How to visit the Church of Sant'Antonio

Restoration work was completed in 2000, but between 2016 and 2018 the building suffered earthquake damage. With the tremors of late October 2016 the church collapsed. Before going, it is best to ask the parish (Parrocchia dei Santi Andrea e Bartolomeo) or the Comune (town hall) of Visso for information.

Where the Church of Sant'Antonio is

The church stands in Villa Sant'Antonio, in the municipality of Visso, in the Marche region. It is on the little square in the center of the village, shaded by old horse chestnut trees. In church terms it belongs to the diocese of Camerino-San Severino Marche.

Around the Church of Sant'Antonio

In the center of Visso are the Collegiata di Santa Maria, with its 14th-century frescoes, the Church of San Francesco in Visso and the church of Sant'Agostino, which housed the civic and diocesan Museo-Pinacoteca, closed since the 2016 earthquake. The Renaissance Santuario di Macereto is a few kilometers from the town, on the plateau of the same name. The 2016 earthquake left most of the buildings in Visso unfit for use, so it is best to check in advance which ones are accessible. Other churches in the area are gathered on the page about the churches of the Sibillini Mountains.