Collegiata di San Lorenzo

The Collegiate Church of San Lorenzo stands beside Urbisaglia’s fortress. Its neoclassical interior brings Renaissance paintings together with a twentieth-century fresco cycle.

Why it matters

Virginio Bacci designed the church, built between 1790 and 1800. Its circular plan and later decoration give the religious landmark of the main square a different character from the adjacent medieval fortification.

What to notice

Eight columns support round arches around the nave. Stefano Folchetti’s triptych of 1507 depicts the mystical marriage of Saint Catherine, flanked by Saints Lawrence and Peter. A Madonna of the Rosary dated 1577 follows the composition of Lorenzo Lotto’s painting at Cingoli. Ciro Pavisa’s apse frescoes depict episodes from Saint Lawrence’s life.

Context and history

Renovation and decoration from 1925 added Pavisa’s paintings to the late-eighteenth-century architecture. Older altarpieces and the modern frescoes preserve different phases of the town’s artistic and devotional history.