Church of Maria Santissima Assunta

History of the Church of Maria Santissima Assunta in Ascoli Piceno

The parish church of Venagrande first appears in a written document in 1333. The first of its many transformations dates from 1481, as shown by the inscription over the original entrance. Among the more recent changes are the new furnishings of the presbytery, added in 1970.

The church is the seat of the Parrocchia di Maria Santissima Assunta, which belongs to the Vicaria dell'Ascensione of the diocese of Ascoli Piceno.

What to see in the Church of Maria Santissima Assunta

The oldest work inside is the polychrome wooden statue of the Madonna della Pace, from the late 15th century, attributable to one of the many German artists working in the Ascoli area at that time. Next to it are a 16th-century tabernacle in painted and gilded wood and an embossed processional cross, also from the 16th century.

Outside, on the left wall, two fragments of Roman inscriptions are set into the masonry, cataloged in the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL IX 5216). The inscription over the original entrance, recording the 1481 transformation, can also still be seen.

How to visit the Church of Maria Santissima Assunta

The Church of Maria Santissima Assunta is a working parish church: whether the interior is open depends on parish life. Before going, it is worth asking the parish or the diocese of Ascoli Piceno.

Where the Church of Maria Santissima Assunta is

The church is in Venagrande, the old Villa Vena Carpignana, in the municipality of Ascoli Piceno. The village stands on the ridge of a tuff hill where a seam of gypsum stone comes to the surface: most of the houses were built with this material, and until the first half of the 20th century it supplied important quarries.

The Venagrande district is hilly and extends north of Ascoli Piceno along the provincial road to Rotella, between the two Chiaro streams; to the north it is closed off by Monte Ascensione.

Near the Church of Maria Santissima Assunta in Ascoli Piceno

In the same district, the castle of Montadamo was, according to tradition, built in 990 by Adamo, bishop of Ascoli and abbot of Farfa. For more than five hundred years it was the seat of the podestà (governors) sent by Ascoli to the southern side of Monte Ascensione, and it preserves its 14th-century double gate with the city's coat of arms and its watchtower.

Casalena in Ascoli Piceno, documented since 1302, preserves remains of its castle and the parish church of San Flaviano with 16th-century frescoes. In Polesio, recorded since 1098, the church of Santa Maria Assunta dates from the 14th century and holds two 15th-century wooden statues of the Madonna. More destinations are on the page things to do in Ascoli Piceno.