CHURCH OF SANT’AGOSTINO

HISTORY

There are few testimonies of the original medieval church and its Renaissance path that remain to this day. The Augustinian convent of Acquapendente was founded towards the end of 1290 and with it the church of Sant’Agostino began to be built, characterized by Gothic forms which were followed by additions and transformations until at least 1918. Thanks to the Chronicles of Acquapendente, drawn up in 1588 by the chronicler Pietro Paolo Biondi, we know that the lunette with Christ in Piety and angels, now kept in the Diocesan Civic Museum, was once located above the main altar. On the sides of this were the tombstones of the Augustinians Nicola Foresio and Alfonso Oliva, sacrists of Julius II and Paul III. In front of the altar was the tomb of Monsignor Antonio Viscontini. In 1746 a fire completely destroyed the church, which was completely rebuilt only a year later, giving it the forms we see today. The fire of 8 November 1746 destroyed the figure of the Madonna, the church and its Gothic architectural forms; the reconstruction saw the formation of barrel vaults. The ancient medieval forms are currently still legible on the side of Via Roma, where the ancient openings of the church with pointed arches are closed by infill walls. The most important events in the life of the church are therefore attributable to the eighteenth century: precisely on 20 May 1742 the image of the Madonna delle Grazie was solemnly crowned, donated by the bishop of Valencia Roberto Narbonese; for the occasion, offerings for three thousand scudi were collected, which were used for the repainting of the church ceiling and to provide the furnishings for the walls.

DESCRIPTION

The façade of the church of Sant’Agostino has a simple gabled structure, where unique decorative solutions are translated into a large rectangular window overlooking the portal. Steps with a hexagonal radial plan give access to the Renaissance-style portal, surmounted by a lunette, all framed in the masonry by a pointed arch, an unmistakable Gothic quote. The interior with a single nave denotes the massive intervention of Baroque period restorations and above all the absence of Gothic and Renaissance decoration, as evidenced by the lunette depicting “Christ in piety and angels” now preserved in the Museum of the City of Acquapendente. attributable to the Sienese painter Gerolamo di Benvenuto, placed before the fire of 1746, according to the Chronicles of Acquapendente written by Pietro Paolo Biondi in 1588, above the main altar. On the side walls there are six late Baroque altars in polychrome imitation marble, symmetrically arranged three on each side, equal two by two.

On the right wall, in the first altar there is a modern canvas with the apparition of Jesus to Santa Chiara. The second altar on the right preserves the 18th century painting by Apollonio Nasini, depicting The Descent of the Holy Spirit. Immediately afterwards, in the third altar, the canvas created by Apollonio Nasini with the representation of the Madonna and Child in glory who gives the belt to Saint Augustine and Saint Monica is found. At the end of the nave, three steps lead to the presbytery occupied by the large high altar, which hides the eighteenth-century choir created within the ancient apse. Continuing from right to left counterclockwise, we find in the left wall in the first altar a Crucifixion, in the second altar a Madonna with Child and Saints and in the last altar of the left wall another work by Apollonio Nasini with the representation of San Carlo pray for the plague victims of the eighteenth century. The counter-façade wall houses a valuable 18th century organ above the compass. The bell tower also has an eighteenth-century structure on the outside.

ESSENTIAL BIBLIOGRAPHY

AA. VV., Acquapendente and its territory. Lazio Region, Department of Culture, Entertainment, Sport and Tourism. Regional Directorate for culture, sport and tourism, area for the enhancement of the territory and cultural heritage. Avellino 2004.

Agostini A., The churches of Acquapendente, Acquapendente 1987.

Biondi P., The origins of the town of Acquapendente and the Madonna del Fiore, Acquapendente 1966;

Chiovelli R., The church and convent of Sant’Agostino in Acquapendente in Opus. Notebook of the History of Architecture and Restoration, 4 (1996), pp. 31 – 50.

Di Salvo S., Apollonio Nasini contribution to the knowledge of life and pictorial works in Amiata. History and Territory, 34 (2000), pp. 14 – 29.

Lise G., Acquapendente. History. Art. Figures. Traditions, Acquapendente 1971.

Acquapendente art city, church of Sant’Agostino.

The works of art of the church of Sant’Agostino di Acquapendente were cataloged on the inventory models in 1993 by the BAS Superintendency of Rome (Catalogratrice A. Capriotti); the cards were revised in 2003 by Fr. Grassi for the Lazio Region.