Church of Santa Maria delle Donne (Ascoli Piceno)

History of the Church of Santa Maria delle Donne

The historian Giambattista Carducci places the start of construction between 1233 and 1234. The church was built for the Poor Clares (clarisse), whose monastery, founded between 1232 and 1233, was attached to the building. In the decade 1250-1260 the walls were still being raised.

The nuns remained the owners until around the end of 1535, when Bishop Roverella moved them inside the walls, because the monastery was in poor condition and the countryside was unsafe. In 1540 the church, monastery and land passed to the nuns of Sant'Egidio. In 1866 the building became state property and in 1875 it was bought by the Merli family. After a long period of neglect, restoration at the Merli family's expense began in 1954. The church reopened for worship on September 8, 1957.

What to see in the Church of Santa Maria delle Donne

Outside, the facade is built of squared travertine blocks. It has a portal with a curved (falcato) arch and a rose window with a ring of small columns and capitals, framed by a braided frieze. Also visible are a walled-up door, which once led to the upper floor with its balconies, and hook-shaped blocks used to hang tapestries and festoons on feast days. On the side facing via Salaria are four irregularly placed single-light windows.

The interior has a single nave divided into two levels by a large travertine arch. The upper level, reached by a staircase against the left wall, connected to the monastery and was reserved for the nuns. Behind the altar are traces of a fresco of the Madonna and Child. The 15th-century tabernacle is decorated with Christ the Teacher, the Evangelists and the Virgin between Santa Chiara and San Francesco. At the base of the right wall is the Guiderocchi tomb, a 14th-century travertine arcosolium (arched tomb niche) with a frescoed Crucifixion. Astolfo Guiderocchi was buried here in 1552.

Visiting the Church of Santa Maria delle Donne

The exterior can be admired from the street. The interior is not always open, so it is worth checking in advance. Contact details for asking about opening hours and access are in the information box on this page.

Where the Church of Santa Maria delle Donne is

The church is in Ascoli Piceno, on the San Panfilo plain. It lies outside the city walls, just beyond Porta Romana. The side with the four single-light windows faces via Salaria.

Around the Church of Santa Maria delle Donne

The church is outside the historic center. Visitors to Ascoli can include it as a short detour near Porta Romana. For the other stops in the city, the page on things to do in Ascoli Piceno offers an overview.