Oratorio della Nunziatella

The Oratory of the Nunziatella in Foligno was built around a revered image of the Annunciation. Its small interior preserves the original image and a fresco of the Baptism of Christ by Pietro Perugino.

Why it matters

The oratory arose after a report of a miraculous event associated with a fresco of the Virgin in a private house in 1489. The municipality acquired the property in 1491 and established a civic sanctuary, which was consecrated in 1494.

What to notice

The Annunciation image is held within a carved and gilded wooden aedicule. On another altar, Perugino's Baptism of Christ presents Christ and John the Baptist beneath the descending dove. The interior includes five altars and later frescoes, including a 1575 composition attributed to Ercole Ramazzani.

Context and history

The building was constructed between 1490 and 1494. Its nickname, Nunziatella, distinguishes it from other churches dedicated to the Annunciation. The façade was substantially reworked in 1830 by architect Vincenzo Vitali. Perugino's fresco is associated with the early sixteenth-century decoration of the oratory.