Chiesa di Santa Maria di Plestia

The Church of Santa Maria di Plestia stands on the Colfiorito plateau over the remains of ancient Plestia and its early Christian cathedral.

Why it matters

The church preserves successive layers of religious and civic history at a settlement on the Apennine route between Umbria and the Adriatic. Its structure incorporates remains of earlier buildings, including elements associated with the ancient city and its cathedral.

What to notice

The small protoromanesque building incorporates ancient masonry and early medieval fabric. Beneath the church, the crypt reveals remains of earlier structures, including a portico. Archaeological evidence in the area includes a Roman public building associated with imperial worship and a sanctuary linked to the goddess Cupra.

Context and history

Plestia was a Roman town and early bishopric on the Apennine plateau. As the settlement declined in the early Middle Ages, its cathedral site developed into the Church of Santa Maria, dated to the tenth century. The present building is described as protoromanesque and incorporates remains of the earlier cathedral and Roman structures. The Archaeological Museum of Colfiorito preserves finds from the surrounding area.