Ex Chiesa di San Francesco

San Francesco in Fano is known as the “roofless church.” After the 1930 earthquake, its roof was removed, leaving the Gothic walls, apse and portico open to the sky. The church preserves the tombs of the Malatesta family, including Pandolfo III's monument designed by Leon Battista Alberti.

Why it matters

The Franciscans began building the church after Pope Alexander IV's bull of 1255, and it was consecrated around 1336. The Malatesta family later embellished the Gothic structure and chose it as a burial church. Its open-air form preserves a legible view of Gothic architecture and the sculptures associated with Fano's medieval rulers. Pandolfo III's tomb by Alberti is an early and mature example of Renaissance funerary design.

What to notice

The brick walls have tall Gothic windows, and a portico of three arches on stone columns bears the Malatesta crest. Under it stand the family tombs. Pandolfo III's monument incorporates a granite sarcophagus brought from Senigallia in 1457 and reworked to Alberti's design. Opposite is the Gothic tomb of his wife Paola Bianca, who died in 1398, by the Venetian sculptor Filippo di Domenico. The physician Bonetto da Castelfranco is also buried in the portico. The tombs were moved there from the church choir from the mid-seventeenth century. Pandolfo's padded garment, recovered with his mummified body, is preserved in the civic museum.

Context and history

The church became the largest Gothic interior in Fano and was enriched under Malatesta rule, which lasted from 1336 to 1463. The family tombs made the choir a dynastic burial place. An earthquake in 1672 destroyed the bell tower. The earthquake of 30 October 1930 damaged the structure, and the roof was demolished for safety. The adjoining convent buildings now serve municipal uses.