Teatro Studio Valeria Moriconi

The Teatro Studio Valeria Moriconi occupies the former church of San Floriano in Jesi. Architect Italo Rota converted the deconsecrated church into a 160-seat performance space, and the adjacent Centro Studi preserves the archive of actress Valeria Moriconi.

Why it matters

The San Floriano complex was once a Franciscan church and convent used for major public ceremonies in Jesi. It also housed works by Lorenzo Lotto, which are now in the civic picture gallery. Since 2002, the former church has served as a theatre; it was named for Valeria Moriconi, a Jesi-born actress, in 2005.

What to notice

Rota's contemporary stage structure sits within the older Baroque interior. Frescoes depicting Stories of Saint Francis, painted by Luigi Mancini in 1855, remain above it. The nearby study centre preserves scripts, manuscripts, correspondence, playbills, photographs, costumes, scenic material and books from Moriconi's career. Her cousins Luciana and Adriana Olivieri donated the collection.

Context and history

San Floriano underwent repeated transformations, including an eighteenth-century rebuilding. It was deconsecrated in 1860. The Teatro Studio opened on 22 May 2002, with Moriconi present. After her death in 2005, the city dedicated the theatre to her; the Centro Studi was established in 2006 and entrusted to the Fondazione Pergolesi Spontini. The former church connects the theatre's contemporary use with the religious and civic history of Jesi.