Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista (dell'Annunziata)

On Piazza Umberto I, the Church of San Giovanni Battista—known in Montesarchio as dell'Annunziata—has served the expanding lower town since the seventeenth century. Its single nave, Baroque altars and Annunciation paintings preserve the character of the church founded in 1613.

Why it matters

The church closes the eastern side of the main square and became an important place of worship as Montesarchio's centre expanded downhill from its medieval quarters. Its double dedication recalls both the parish of San Giovanni Battista and an Annunziata tradition associated with ancient Caudium.

What to notice

The stone portal is crowned by a frescoed niche. Inside, six side altars flank a polychrome-marble high altar with an Annunciation painting. A second Annunciation occupies the centre of the vault. The right-hand chapel, known as the Buona Morte, is marked outside by limestone skulls and contains eighteenth-century paintings on the theme of a good death. A bell tower in three orders rises above the left-hand chapel.

Context and history

Construction began in 1613 and the church was substantially completed by the end of the seventeenth century. Before the new church was built, major religious functions were held at San Francesco. Later additions included two side chapels, and restoration followed the 1980 earthquake. The church remains part of the historic fabric of Piazza Umberto I.