Church of San Tommaso (Ascoli Piceno)

History of the Church of San Tommaso

The church was built together with the Collegiate of the Lateran Canons of the Order of Saint Augustine, on the initiative of Bishop Bernardo II. The canons led a simple life and followed the rule of owning no personal property. They lived in the building attached to the church, which also contains the cloister.

The present appearance is the result of work in the 13th century. Some features are more recent: the interior stuccoes are by Emidio Paci (1872), the bowls on the pediment date from 1930, the rose window was rebuilt in 1948 and the baptismal font is from 1960.

What to see in the Church of San Tommaso

The facade is divided into three parts with sloping sides and has three doors. It still has putlog holes and travertine hooks, used to mount temporary structures during city festivals. On the right rises the square-based bell tower, with the bell dated 1283.

The interior has a basilica plan, with three naves divided by cross-shaped pillars and columns. Medieval sections and Roman column drums were also reused for the columns. On the pillars there are frescoes from the 13th-14th centuries: a Madonna del Latte (Nursing Madonna), Santa Lucia, a Blessing Saint and an Enthroned Virgin and Child. In the left nave, a pillar bears a fresco of the Madonna and Child from 1293.

On the high altar are a gilded wooden tabernacle from the 16th century shaped like a small octagonal temple, and the Carrara marble group by Giuseppe and Lazzaro Giosafatti, with San Tommaso, the Madonna and Child and San Giovanni Evangelista. In the transept are 18th-century travertine altars with altarpieces by Biagio Miniera (the Pietà), Giuseppe Angelini and Giulio Cantalamessa. The four holy water stoups are carved from Roman capitals.

Visiting the Church of San Tommaso

A visit can also include the Museo dell'arte ceramica, housed in the cloister of the former convent and opened on June 1, 2007. The museum has five sections and traces ceramic production in Ascoli, from 15th-century majolica bowls to the workshops of the 19th and 20th centuries. It is worth checking the opening hours of the church and the museum in advance.

Where the Church of San Tommaso is

The church is in piazza San Tommaso, in the northwest part of the historic center of Ascoli Piceno, in the San Giacomo quarter. The square is four-sided and largely surrounded by travertine buildings.

Around the Church of San Tommaso

The Museo dell'arte ceramica is in the same complex. The reburied remains of the Roman amphitheater lie beneath the square. To continue exploring, other sights in the center are on the page about things to do in Ascoli Piceno.