Chiesa della Santissima Trinità

The Church of the Confraternity of the Holy Trinity stands opposite San Francesco in Popoli Terme. Rebuilt between 1716 and 1734, it combines a Tuscan-order façade with a central-plan interior and an octagonal domed lantern.

Why it matters

The church reflects the role of confraternities in the religious life of Popoli. A church of the Holy Trinity stood on the site before 1587; its eighteenth-century reconstruction introduced an unusual central plan beneath an octagonal dome and lantern. The building’s design contrasts with the more common nave-and-chapel churches of the town.

What to notice

The façade is divided into three bays by pilasters and counter-pilasters on tall pedestals. Three portals have triangular side pediments and a curved central pediment. Inside, the high altar, made in 1750 by Nicodemo Mancini of Pescocostanzo, is decorated in commesso marble. Side altars and the coretti parapet carry stucco work associated with a Lombard craftsman. Giambattista Gamba painted the church’s frescoes in 1732; encaustic paintings by Father Colombo Cordeschi were added to the dome in 1920. The façade sculpture is linked to Popoli’s Sonsini family of craftsmen.

Context and history

The rebuilding of 1716–1734 gave the church its central plan and domed profile. Gamba’s frescoes followed in 1732, and Mancini’s marble altar was completed in 1750. Opposite the Franciscan church of San Francesco, the Holy Trinity adds an eighteenth-century counterpart to Popoli’s older religious architecture. Later decoration continued with Cordeschi’s dome paintings of 1920.