Church of San Serafino da Montegranaro (Ascoli Piceno)

History of the Church of San Serafino da Montegranaro

The site is much older than the present building. In the 8th century a Benedictine monastery stood here, with the church of Santa Maria in Solestano. It then passed to various religious orders. Among them were the Friars Minor Observant, who set up the city's first printing press here: in 1477 it produced the Cronaca di Sant'Isidoro (Chronicle of St. Isidore), the first text printed in Ascoli.

In 1569 the complex passed to the Capuchins. In 1590 Serafino da Montegranaro arrived, and he spent much of his life in the convent until his death on October 12, 1604. He was beatified by Benedict XIII in 1729 and canonized by Clement XIII in 1767. Since 1940 his remains have rested in an urn beneath the high altar. After the canonization, from 1771, the medieval building was replaced by the present one. Of the old complex, the bell tower remains, near the left apse.

What to see in the Church of San Serafino da Montegranaro

The facade is fronted by an arcaded portico. Its only decoration is a stucco bas-relief of the titular saint, set in an oval. The portal has a 16th-century look and bears a Latin inscription on the lintel: "Through small things great ones are gained".

The interior has a single nave with side chapels. The altarpieces are by the painter Oscar Marziali, from the mid-20th century. Along the walls are 19th-century funerary monuments, including the one to Luigi and Marianna Marcatili (1853), by Giorgio Paci.

The presbytery is entirely frescoed by Augusto Mussini. The work began in 1903 and was completed in several stages in 1915. The scenes tell the life of San Serafino, from his Vocation to his Death. Those beside the high altar, the Cult of Flowers and the Miracle of the Cabbages, are set in the convent garden, with views of the old city in the background. The high altar is a large wooden retable with the Ascension of Christ (1918), Mussini's last work.

The convent has a cloister with 15th-century features and a central well. In the refectory there is a large Last Supper by Martino Bonfini, from the first half of the 17th century. One room holds a canvas by Andrea Lilli with three Franciscan saints.

Visiting the Church of San Serafino da Montegranaro

From the back of the church, a staircase leads to the Cameretta di San Serafino (the saint's little room), a very plain space where the saint died. His portrait by Pietro Gaia is kept here. It is considered the most faithful likeness, because it was painted "from life".

The Capuchins still live in the convent next to the church, where they tend a large vegetable garden.

Where the Church of San Serafino da Montegranaro is

The church is in Ascoli Piceno, in the Borgo Solestà quarter, in the Marche region.

Around the Church of San Serafino da Montegranaro

The church is part of the Ascoli Rebirth – Secondo anello (second loop) hiking route. For other stops in the city, such as the Cathedral of Sant'Emidio (Ascoli Piceno), see the page on things to do in Ascoli Piceno.