Chiesa di San Silvestro

At the north-western end of L'Aquila's historic centre, the Church of San Silvestro preserves medieval architecture and frescoes, alongside the Branconio Chapel. The original Visitation altarpiece commissioned by Giovanni Battista Branconio is now in the Prado; a copy remains in the church.

Why it matters

San Silvestro was founded by settlers from Collebrincioni and developed over an earlier thirteenth-century structure. Work on the present church was documented by 1350. The Branconio family, whose palace faced the church, commissioned the Visitation for its chapel around 1517. In 1655 the painting was transferred to Philip IV of Spain; it is now in Madrid.

What to notice

The facade has a large fourteenth-century rose window and a portal with alternating bands of white and red stone. Inside, three naves lead to polygonal apses. Frescoes attributed to the Maestro di Beffi were rediscovered during restoration in 1946; surviving scenes include the Adoration of the Magi and a Maestà of Christ. The Branconio Chapel's decoration includes a copy of the Visitation, attributed to Giulio Cesare Bedeschini, and work by Giovanni Paolo Donati.

Context and history

The church was built against the city's early walls, and a tower survives beside its left flank. Eighteenth-century alterations concealed earlier frescoes. The 2009 earthquake damaged the facade, bell tower and apse. Restoration from 2016 returned the church to the city in July 2019; it was reconsecrated on 7 July by Cardinal Archbishop Giuseppe Petrocchi.