Santa Maria sopra Minerva (Tempio di Minerva)

Santa Maria sopra Minerva occupies the remains of a Roman temple on Assisi's Piazza del Comune. Six Corinthian columns and the pediment preserve the ancient public frontage, while the interior has the character of a later Baroque church.

Why it matters

The building records successive religious and civic uses at the heart of Roman and medieval Assisi. The traditional name Temple of Minerva does not establish the identity of its original cult.

What to notice

Fluted columns, carved capitals and an entablature give the exterior its classical form. Inside, Francesco Appiani's eighteenth-century frescoes and stucco decoration contrast with the ancient portico. Surviving Roman pavement and supporting masonry add further evidence of the earlier structure.

Context and history

The temple was built in the second half of the first century BC. Later use included a church of San Donato and communal spaces for government and imprisonment. The dedication to Santa Maria sopra Minerva dates to 1539. Giacomo Giorgetti's alterations in 1634 raised and lengthened the interior, and further eighteenth-century decoration contributed to its Baroque appearance.