Church and Convent of the Santissima Annunziata (Ascoli Piceno)

History of the Church and Convent of the Santissima Annunziata

The complex began as a hospital. It remained a hospital until 1250, when it was entrusted to the Augustinian nuns, at the request of Friar Pietro da Verona, later San Pietro Martire. The older of the two cloisters and the small church beside the portico were built for them. The hill is traditionally identified as the Capitolium of ancient Ausculum.

In 1444 the nuns of the rule of Santa Monica took over. From 1481-1482 to 1861 the convent and church were run by the Friars Minor Observant. The historian Sebastiano Andreantonelli called it the "seventh convent of Ascoli". From 1482 and for a long time, every year on 25 March the people of Ascoli went up to the Annunziata in procession. In this way they commemorated the Ecclesiastical Liberty granted that year by Pope Sixtus IV.

In 1882 the complex became home to Italy's first Practical School of Agriculture, which in 1924 became an Agricultural Middle School. In 1933 it became an institute for orphan girls, the Conservatorio Regina Margherita, run by the Sisters of Charity. Then it was abandoned for a long time. During that period Carlo Crivelli's Annunciation of Ascoli, now in the National Gallery in London, and the Blessed Giacomo della Marca, now in the Louvre, were stolen. A polyptych with the Virgin and Saints also disappeared, and its whereabouts are unknown.

What to see in the Church and Convent of the Santissima Annunziata

The main work is the lunette painted by Cola dell'Amatrice in 1519 on the west wall of the former refectory. It shows Jesus carrying the cross toward Calvary, surrounded by Roman soldiers and townspeople. San Giovanni helps the Madonna among the holy women. The fresco was damaged by Napoleon's army and restored in the first half of the 19th century. In 1916 the proposal to detach it was finally rejected, and today it can still be seen in the place it was painted for.

The eight-arched portico leads into the building, which includes the former church, former convent and former refectory. There are two cloisters. One has a portico on octagonal pillars with a loggia above. In the smaller cloister is a 15th-century well.

Visiting the Church and Convent of the Santissima Annunziata

The former convent is now a university building. It houses the school's administration, offices, classrooms and library, while the cloisters often host exhibitions of student work. The former refectory is now called the Aula dell'affresco (Fresco Hall). The interiors are therefore study spaces. It is worth checking access arrangements in advance.

Where the Church and Convent of the Santissima Annunziata is

The complex is in Ascoli Piceno, on the Colle dell'Annunziata, in the park that locals simply call "l'Annunziata". The church is raised above the ancient Annunziata Caves.

Around the Church and Convent of the Santissima Annunziata

The hill is partly occupied by the shady Parco della Rimembranza (Remembrance Park), with fine views of the city and of the Castellano valley. Just below the church forecourt are the Roman ruins known as the "grotte dell'Annunziata". Climbing further leads to the Pia Fortress, built by order of Pius IV in 1560. At the foot of the hill stands Sant'Angelo Magno, the former monastery of San Michele Arcangelo, the second seat of the School of Architecture and Design. Other sights in the city are on the page about things to do in Ascoli Piceno.