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Church of Cuore Immacolato di Maria

Church of Cuore Immacolato di Maria
Photo: Interminatispazi / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Church of Cuore Immacolato di Maria

Type
Church
Address
Via III ottobreAscoli Piceno (AP)
Hours
Masses: weekdays 7:30, 9:00 and 18:00; day before a holiday 18:00; holidays 7:30, 9:00, 10:30, 12:00 and 18:00; in summer the 18:00 Masses are at 19:00
Phone
0736 43901

Source: site database, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

The Church of Cuore Immacolato di Maria (Chiesa del Cuore Immacolato di Maria) is in Ascoli Piceno, in the Luciani district, in the area known as Caldaie. Locals, and residents of the district in particular, call it the "chiesa dei Frati" (the friars' church), because the Franciscans celebrate Mass there. It was designed by the architect Vincenzo Pilotti in a style that recalls the Secession and Art Deco, and was built between 1953 and 1958. Among its most significant works are the bronze door by Aldo Sergiacomi, the large ceramic panels dedicated to the Rosary and a 17th-century wooden crucifix.

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Points from the site database. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors · Protomaps.

History of the Church of Cuore Immacolato di Maria in Ascoli Piceno

The Franciscans had used the church and convent of the Carmine from 1912 until September 18, 1955. After that date they celebrated first at San Vittore and, from September 22, 1955, at Sant'Egidio, on Corso Mazzini. Between 1948 and 1949 they bought a plot of land along Viale Indipendenza, but the bishop did not authorize construction because it was too close to the church of the Carmine. In 1950 they obtained the present site, in the Caldaie – Pennile di Sopra area, along the road to Colle San Marco.

Work on the convent began on March 12, 1951 and on the church two years later. The foundation stone was blessed on December 20, 1953. The church opened in 1958, and Bishop Marcello Morgante later made it a parish. The friars have lived in the adjoining convent since October 17, 1959. The interior was repainted in light blue and pink in 2010.

What to see in the Church of Cuore Immacolato di Maria

Three entrances open on the facade. The central one, in marble with geometric patterns, has the bronze door by Aldo Sergiacomi, unveiled on May 3, 1964. Its high-relief panels are arranged on three tiers. The first shows Pius IX, John XXIII and Pius XII. The second depicts the birth of Jesus and the Deposition from the Cross. The third shows the Redeemer crowning the Virgin.

The interior has a single nave with brick-lined side niches. The walls are decorated with low-relief ceramic panels, modeled by Cleto Capponi and Giuseppe Marinucci, on the mysteries of the Rosary. Five panels cover the apse over an area of 21 x 6 m and show Mary among hosts of angels, with the Immaculate Heart on her breast. Outside are stone statues of eight Franciscan saints and fourteen ceramic panels by Arrigo Roia.

The last chapel on the right holds the wooden crucifix carved by the Sicilian Franciscan Innocenzo da Petralia, commissioned in 1636. The sculpture measures 175 x 165 cm. It was restored in 1986 with funding from the Regione Marche.

How to visit the Church of Cuore Immacolato di Maria

The church is a parish with weekday, Saturday evening and Sunday Masses. The times change between winter and summer and are given in the information box on this page. It is worth checking them before visiting.

Where the Church of Cuore Immacolato di Maria is

The church stands in the Luciani district, in the Caldaie – Pennile di Sopra area, along the road to Colle San Marco. The "Scuola Luciani" bus stop is a few steps away.

Near the Church of Cuore Immacolato di Maria in Ascoli Piceno

The friars' convent is next to the church. To continue a visit to the city, the list of places to discover is on the page things to do in Ascoli Piceno.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the church called the "chiesa dei Frati"?

People in Ascoli, especially residents of the Luciani district, call it this because the Franciscans celebrate Mass there. The friars live in the adjoining convent, occupied since October 17, 1959. The church was later made a parish by Bishop Marcello Morgante.

Who designed the church and when was it built?

The design is by the architect Vincenzo Pilotti, in a style that recalls the Secession and Art Deco. Construction took five years, between 1953 and 1958. The foundation stone was blessed on December 20, 1953 and the church opened in 1958.

What does the bronze door depict?

The door, by Aldo Sergiacomi and unveiled on May 3, 1964, has three tiers. The first shows Pius IX, John XXIII and Pius XII. The second depicts the birth of Jesus and the Deposition from the Cross. The third shows the Redeemer crowning the Virgin.

Where is the 17th-century crucifix?

The wooden crucifix by Innocenzo da Petralia is in the last chapel on the right of the nave. It measures 175 x 165 cm. It was commissioned in 1636 and restored in 1986, with funding from the Regione Marche.

Nearby

What to see nearby

Straight-line distances.