Parish Church of Santa Maria (Pieve Torina)

History of the Parish Church of Santa Maria in Pieve Torina

The old pieve, in Romanesque style, has its façade facing northwest. In 1722 the new parish church was built beside it. Its plan was rotated 180 degrees, so that the façade faced the town and was sheltered from flooding. The old pieve has remained attached to the parish church.

What to see in the Parish Church of Santa Maria

Notable features of the building are the apse with single-light windows and the bell tower. The bell tower has a sloping base and dates from the 14th century. Inside, some 14th-century frescoes have been recovered. Others were detached and displayed in the art gallery.

The Pinacoteca "Chiesa di San Giovanni" also holds works formerly kept in the church of San Giovanni. These include altarpieces from the destroyed churches of Pomarolo and San Teodora and a Madonna and Child with Angels and Saints by Giovanni Andrea De Magistris. The most important piece is a cycle of frescoes from the second half of the 14th century, detached from the pieve and essential for the study of the Camerino school of painting.

Visiting the Parish Church of Santa Maria

After the earthquake the art gallery was closed and the works were placed in storage. In spring 2025, more than eight years after the earthquake, the nearby parish church was still as it had been in the days of the earthquake: destroyed. Within the Park, the 2016 earthquake damaged many historic buildings, and in some municipalities red zones with no access were set up. Before setting out, ask the Comune about access to the area.

Where the Parish Church of Santa Maria is located

The pieve stands in the center of Pieve Torina. The municipality is in the inland area of the province of Macerata, at 470 m above sea level, in the Sibillini National Park.

Around the Parish Church of Santa Maria in Pieve Torina

A few kilometers from the center are the octagonal church of Santa Maria di Caspriano and the medieval village of Appennino, with its concentric layout. In the same area there is also the Romitorio dei Santi, a hermitage with a Lombard crypt carved into a cave. In town, the Museum of Our Land in Pieve Torina occupies the ground floor of the former Convento di Sant'Agostino. Other churches in the area are gathered on the page about churches in the Sibillini Mountains, including the Church of Santi Cosma e Damiano (Pieve Torina).