Chiesa di Gesu' e Maria

The Church of Gesù e Maria in Pescocostanzo was built with an adjoining Franciscan convent after the town community invited the friars in 1611.

Why it matters

The church and convent reflect a deliberate civic decision to establish a Franciscan presence in Pescocostanzo. Its richly furnished interior also shows the artistic networks that connected this mountain town with major centres of seventeenth-century sculpture and architecture.

What to notice

The high altar is associated with Cosimo Fanzago, who worked in the area in the 1620s. Its sculpted stone offers a contrast with the carved wooden furnishings found in other churches in Pescocostanzo. The adjoining convent buildings complete the ensemble as a religious complex rather than a single church.

Context and history

The town community established the church and convent in 1611 to bring a Franciscan community to Pescocostanzo. Fanzago's activity in the town from 1624 to 1630 is associated with the high altar and with work at the convent of Santa Scolastica, now Palazzo Fanzago.