Chiesa di Santa Maria

The Church of Santa Maria is among the oldest documented buildings in Sperlonga's historic centre. A record from 1135 names it as an important place of worship; its two naves, bell tower and later chapels preserve traces of the church's changing role in the town.

Why it matters

The church belongs to the earliest written history of Sperlonga. In 1135 it was recorded in the Codex Caietanus as Sanctae Mariae de Spelonche, a name connected with the caves that also gave the town its name. Its medieval fabric predates the fortified form of the borgo that developed around it.

What to notice

The church has two naves and later additions, with a bell tower and upper galleries known as matronei. At the high altar, a large canvas of the Assumption stands above a vaulted choir. The chapel of San Domenico retains an eighteenth-century altar beneath a frescoed vault. The chapel of San Leone Magno includes a statue of the town's patron, replacing an earlier dedication to the Presepe.

Context and history

The building changed along with Sperlonga. After corsair attacks in the sixteenth century, it became part of the rebuilt borgo's network of lanes and churches. By the early eighteenth century it was dedicated to San Leone Magno, patron of the town. The modern parish role later passed to Santa Maria Assunta in Cielo on Piazza Europa. Restoration has brought medieval frescoes to light, adding painted layers to the church's architectural history.