Basilicas in Italy—Lazio, Marche, and Umbria—2

Does not include basilicas in the Ecclesiastical Province of Rome.

I blogged about the following churches on October 8, 2020.

• Cathedral Basilica of St. Ciriaco in Ancona, Marche.

• Cathedral Basilica of St. Floridus and St. Amantius, Citta di Castello, Perugia, Umbria

• Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of Mary, Orvieto, Umbria.

Basilica of Saints Decenzio and Germano, Pesaro, Marche

Considered a basilica for centuries.

The basilica is named for brothers who were martyred in 312—one a bishop and the other a deacon.  A church was built here in the 4th Century which later served as a diocesan cathedral and also as an abbey church.  The church fell into disrepair and was not restored until the 18th Century. 

From Diocesan website

Basilica Cathedral of St. Scholastica, Subiaco, Lazio

Considered a basilica for centuries.

The Basilica is the abbey church for the Benedictine Abbey of St. Scholastica and the cathedral for the Territorial Abbacy of Subiaco.  The abbey was established by St. Benedict (St. Scholastica was his sister) in the 6th Century.  The abbey church, primarily Gothic, was built in the 1770s.  St. Benedict lived for a time in a cave on the property.  The church has a fresco depicting St. Francis of Assisi, the oldest known depiction and executed during his lifetime.

From Wikipedia.

Distinguished Cathedral Basilica of St. Lawence Martyr, Tivoli, Lazio

Considered a basilica for centuries.

The Basilica is the cathedral for the Diocese of Tivoli.  History is uncertain as to whether a church was built here in the 4th Century by order of the Emperor Constantine or in the 5th Century by order of Pope Simplicius who was from Tivoli.  It was later rebuilt in a Romanesque style, but the present Baroque church dates to the 17th Century.  The Basilica has several works of art.

From Wikipedia.

Basilica Co-Cathedral of the Holy Sepulcher, Acquapendente, Lazio

Considered a basilica for centuries.

The Basilica is the co-cathedral for the Diocese of Viterbo.  The church was built in the 12th Century as an abbey church for a Benedictine monastery.  It is primarily Romanesque but does have a 10th Century crypt and a neoclassical façade.

From a local source and Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Flaviano, Montefiascone, Lazio

Considered a basilica for centuries.

This Romanesque church was built in the 11th and 12th Centuries.

From TripAdvisor and Wikipedia.

Co-Cathedral Basilica of St. Mary, Sezze, Lazio

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XIII in 1725.

The church is the co-cathedral for the Diocese of Latina-Terracina-Sezze-Priverno.  This 13th Century church replaced a 3rd or 4th Century church.  The church has been renovated several times since its construction.

From local sources.

Basilica of St. Nicholas of Tolentino, Tolentino, Marche

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius VI in 1783.

The basilica was built between the 14th and 17th Centuries and has artwork from that time.  It was once the church of an Augustinian monastery and also served as a cathedral for a now suppressed diocese.  It is the first church to be officially recognized by a pope as a minor basilica.  St. Nicholas of Tolentino is buried here.  [Not to be confused with the earlier St. Nicholas of Myra aka Santa Claus.]

From Catholic Travel Guide, a local source and Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of St. Clemente I, Velletri, Lazio

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius VII in 1804.

The Basilica is the Cathedral for the Suburbicarian Diocese of Velletri-Segni.  A church has been here since the 4th Century but this church dates to 1660.  It has an altarpiece done by Giovanni Balducci.

From TripAdvisor and Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Flaviano, Recanati, Marche

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius VII in 1804.

The current church was built between the 14th and 17th Centuries on the site of an earlier church.  It was the cathedral of what is now a suppressed diocese.  Pope Gregory XVII, who died in 1417, is buried here—the last pope buried outside of Rome.

The top picture is from Dreamstime and the others are from Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of St. Mary, Rieti, Lazio

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Gregory XVI in 1841.

The Basilica is the Cathedral for the Diocese of Rieti.  The church was constructed between 1109 and the XIII Century.  Initially built in a Romanesque style, it was later redone in a Baroque style.  Today, the interior remains Baroque, but the exterior is now Romanesque again due to renovations (mostly due to an earthquake) between the 18th and 20th Centuries.  Five 13th Century popes resided in Rieti.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of Mary and Ss. Erasmus and Marciano, Gaeta, Lazio

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius IX in 1848.

The Basilica is the Cathedral for the Archdiocese of Gaeta.  Originally completed in the 12th Century, it replaced an earlier church.  Renovations over the centuries have resulted in a church with a Baroque-neoclassical interior, a Neo-Gothic façade, and a Romanesque bell tower.  It is partially dedicated to St. Erasmus (also known as Elmo) who was a 4th Century martyr.  Erasmus is buried here with five other saints.  The church was heavily damaged in the Second World War but has been restored.  

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

 Basilicas in Italy—Lazio, Marche, and Umbria—1

Does not include basilicas in the Ecclesiastical Province of Rome.

I blogged about the following churches on October 8, 2020.

• Cathedral Basilica of St. Ciriaco in Ancona, Marche.

• Cathedral Basilica of St. Floridus and St. Amantius, Citta di Castello, Perugia, Umbria

• Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of Mary, Orvieto, Umbria.

Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Assisi, Umbria

Considered a basilica for centuries.

The basilica was constructed in the 13th Century and has an upper church, a lower church, and a crypt.  St. Francis is buried in the crypt.  The church has both Romanesque and Italian Gothic architectural features.  Both the upper and lower churches are decorated with frescoes by artists such as Giotto.  It is the Mother Church of the Franciscans.  The church suffered major damage by a 1997 earthquake but has been restored.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Papal Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels in Portiuncola, Santa Maria degli Angelic, Umbria

Considered a basilica for centuries.

A small, ruined chapel was on this site when St. Francis told by Christ to “repair my house.”  Francis took the order literally at first and rebuilt the chapel.  It became the first home of the Franciscans.  After Francis died in 1226, pilgrims started coming to the chapel, and the current basilica was built over the chapel in the 16th Century.

From Wikipedia.

Pontifical Basilica of the Holy House of Loreto, Loreto, Marche

Considered a basilica for centuries.

The Basilica contains a structure said to be the home of the Holy Family in Nazareth.  Legend says it was brought here by angels in the 1290s, but other explanations also exist.  The Gothic Basilica itself was built in the 15th Century.  A statue of Our Lady of Loreto burned and was replaced in 1922 with a statue made from Cedar of Lebanon wood.

From Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of Mary, Anagni, Lazio

Considered a basilica for centuries.

The Basilica is the cathedral for the Diocese of Anagni-Alatri.  The church was built between 1072 and 1104 and has a Romanesque exterior and a Gothic-Lombard interior.  Anagni served as the summer home for popes in the 12th and 13th Centuries.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica Cathedral of St. Mary Major, Civita Castellana, Lazio

Considered a basilica for centuries.

The church is the cathedral for the Diocese of Civita Castellana and was originally built between 1185 and 1210 to replace an existing church.  The existing church was restored in the 17th Century with a Baroque style although it has a Romanesque bell tower.  Of note are a 4th Century Roman sarcophagus embedded in the main altar and 12th Century frescoes.  Mozart played the cathedral pipe organ in 1770.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Co-Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, Orte, Lazio

Considered a basilica for centuries.

The church is the co-cathedral for the Diocese of Civita Castellana.  This Baroque church was built in the 18th Century to replace a 9th Century church.

Pictures are from a local source and Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Paterniano, Fano, Marche

Considered a basilica for centuries.

The basilica was built between 1547 and 1558.  It honors St. Paterniano, who has a 4th Century bishop.  He is the patron saint of 32 countries.

Pictures are from local sources.

Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Assumption and St. Benedict, Montecassino, Lazio

Considered a basilica for centuries.

The Basilica is the abbey church for the Abbey of Montecassino and the cathedral for the Territorial Abbacy of Montecassino.  St. Benedict of Norcia built the first church here in 529.  It was badly damaged by the Lombards and the Normans before it was rebuilt in 1071.  It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1349 and rebuilt in the 17th Century.  The church was bombed in 1944 but was restored in 1964.  St. Benedict and St. Scholastica are buried in the main altar.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Cecilia, Acquasparta, Umbria

Considered a basilica for centuries.

This Romanesque and Renaissance church was built in the 12th Century to honor St. Cecilia, the town’s patron saint.

Pictures are from local sources.

Cathedral Basilica of St. Agapitus, Palestrina, Lazio

Considered a basilica for centuries.

The Basilica is the Cathedral for the Diocese of Palestrina.  The church dates to the 12th Century and is the site of a former Roman temple and is dedicated to a 3rd Century Roman martyr.  

Pictures are from Pinterest and Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of Mary, Pesaro, Marche

Considered a basilica for centuries.

The Basilica is the Cathedral for the Archdiocese of Pesaro.  A church was built here in the 6th Century, but the current Romanesque and Neoclassical building dates primarily to the 19th Century.

Both pictures are from Wikipedia.