Basilica di Sant'Eufemia

The Basilica of Sant'Eufemia is a Romanesque church within Spoleto's Archbishop's Palace. Its galleries, reused stonework and medieval decoration preserve evidence of the Benedictine community that once lived here.

Why it matters

The church is one of Umbria's notable Romanesque buildings. Its upper gallery is associated with the Benedictine nuns who occupied the adjoining monastery, while the building's relationship to the former Lombard ducal palace remains a leading historical hypothesis.

What to notice

Three naves rise beneath groin vaults, with a gallery above the side aisles opening toward the central nave. A reused marble base with plant reliefs stands beneath one column. The church also preserves frescoes of Saints Lucy and Apollonia, a marble altar with Cosmatesque inlay and a sixteenth-century apse fresco.

Context and history

A Benedictine women's monastery was established here in the tenth century. The bishops of Spoleto took over the complex during the twelfth-century expansion of the cathedral, and the church was later rededicated to Santa Lucia. Twentieth-century restoration brought renewed attention to the medieval building and its earlier dedication to Sant'Eufemia. The basilica is now included in Spoleto's Diocesan Museum circuit.