Chiesa di San Francesco

San Francesco in Faenza combines the remnants of a Gothic Franciscan church with a substantial eighteenth-century rebuilding. Its Baroque facade forms an ensemble with the adjoining Sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception.

Why it matters

The building records the changing architectural expression of a religious community established in Faenza around 1230. The eighteenth-century scheme transformed the medieval church while preserving fragments of its earlier fabric.

What to notice

A Gothic portal and traces of arches survive along the right exterior side, with fresco remains in the sacristy. The later facade evokes Roman Baroque models through its curves and upper obelisks. Inside, a sixteenth-century wooden crucifix, an altarpiece of Saint Anthony raising a dead man and an inlaid eighteenth-century choir represent different phases of furnishing.

Context and history

The Gothic church dates to 1271. Rebuilding began in 1740 under Raffaele Campidori and Giovan Battista Boschi, following Cosimo Mattoni's design; the facade was completed by 1751. The adjoining Concezione sanctuary originated in 1714, before the main rebuilding. Wartime destruction of the dome decoration in 1944 was followed by repainting in the 1950s.