Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta (Duomo)

The Duomo of Trevignano Romano preserves a Renaissance apse fresco attributed to Pellegrino da Modena. Its scene of the Death of the Virgin includes the only known image of the town's lost medieval castle.

Why it matters

Built in the first years of the sixteenth century, Santa Maria Assunta is among the most important sacred buildings in Trevignano. The fresco follows the Golden Legend of Jacopo da Voragine. Its artist incorporated local details: the ancient castle appears on one side of the scene, with fishermen working on Lake Bracciano on the other.

What to notice

In the apse fresco, priests attempt to seize the Virgin's body, and an angel with a sword drives them away; above, the Virgin is assumed into heaven among angels. The under-arch carries scenes from her life. The fresco also preserves the image of Trevignano's lost castle and the lake shore with fishermen. In the first chapel on the left is a thirteenth-century Byzantine triptych of Christ blessing between the Virgin and Saint John the Evangelist. Restoration revealed figures of Saints Peter and Paul behind its side predellas. The second left chapel has a fresco of the Madonna enthroned with a donor, Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Jerome; its authorship remains under study. Near the exit is an eighteenth-century organ and a marble tabernacle from the Orsini period.

Context and history

The church was built in the early sixteenth century, probably over an earlier medieval place of worship, during the period of Orsini rule around Lake Bracciano. The apse fresco's castle image preserves the medieval settlement as it appeared before the fortress was lost. The church's eighteenth-century organ and Orsini-period tabernacle record later additions to its interior.