Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta

The Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Cielo is Capodimonte's parish and collegiate church. It stands beside the Rocca Farnese above Lake Bolsena and preserves the town's Marian devotion in a statue of the Assumption and a painting of Maria Santissima delle Grazie.

Why it matters

The church is the principal sacred building of Capodimonte. Its position beside the fortress gives the town's historic centre a distinct religious and civic pairing. The interior's stucco decoration and Marian images connect the church's architectural history with the town's devotional traditions.

What to notice

An arch in the church is traditionally attributed to Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola, who was working on the church on Bisentina Island; the attribution remains a local tradition. The church also preserves a statue of the Madonna Assunta and a painting of Maria Santissima delle Grazie, attributed to the school of Sebastiano Conca. The painting was donated by Cardinal Marcantonio Barbarigo to the Maestre Pie Filippine, a congregation that established the diocese's first religious school here in 1694.

Context and history

The devotion to the Madonna delle Grazie remains part of Capodimonte's civic calendar. After Easter, the painting is traditionally displayed for a week and carried in a procession over streets decorated with flower carpets for the Infiorata. The church's history also connects the town with the Maestre Pie Filippine and the educational work they established in the late seventeenth century.