Church of Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio

History of the Church of Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio in Ascoli Piceno

There is no certain construction date. The present building is the result of work and enlargements lasting at least six hundred years, completed in 1389. According to some scholars, it all began with a small semi-underground oratory built by Christians between the 4th and 6th centuries for baptisms. Later the apse, the bell tower, the portal with its sculptural group and the side aisles were added.

In 1576 the walls were plastered over. This may have erased the frescoes that decorated them. In 1856 the church was closed for worship because of its unstable structure. In 1897 urgent work was carried out, directed by the Ascoli engineer Enrico Cesari: the roof was rebuilt, the bones were removed from the crypt and the water that flooded the underground rooms was channeled away.

What to see in the Church of Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio

The most recognizable feature is the rectangular facade with 64 panels. They once held frescoes with episodes from the Old and New Testaments, now lost. This decoration links it to the cathedral of Assisi, the church of San Pietro in Spoleto and Santa Giusta fuori le mura in Bazzano.

The portal bears the date 1306. It has spiral-carved colonnettes with capitals in Roman-Corinthian taste, two small lions at the base of the arch and, in the lunette, the Madonna and Child between the two titular saints. The interior has three naves and a wooden truss roof.

Under the presbytery is the crypt of San Silvestro. It holds the Pozzo di San Silvestro (St. Sylvester's Well), a small basin carved into the rock. Its water was believed to be miraculous and was once used against leprosy and scabies. Traces of 14th-century frescoes linked to the saint's legend remain.

How to visit the Church of Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio

The facade and portal can be seen directly from the square. The crypt is reached by two open staircases inside the church. It is best to check opening hours before visiting.

Where the Church of Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio is

The church stands in the historic center of Ascoli Piceno and faces Piazza Ventidio Basso. For religious purposes it belongs to the parish of San Pietro Martire.

Near the Church of Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio in Ascoli Piceno

Piazza Arringo is home to the Civic Art Gallery in Ascoli Piceno, the civic art gallery, which holds a small oil painting by Giulio Gabrielli. It shows how the church may have looked in the 11th century. The Cathedral of Sant'Emidio stands in the same square. The Baptistery of San Giovanni in Ascoli Piceno is part of the itinerary of the city's medieval churches. More ideas for the visit are on the page things to do in Ascoli Piceno.