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EspañolChiesa della Madonna delle Carceri
Outside the walls by Porta Boncompagni, the octagonal votive church of Madonna delle Carceri commemorates a healing recorded in 1581. Designed by Ottaviano Mascherino for Bishop Bovio, it follows a centralised plan associated with late Renaissance Marian shrines; a hipped roof stands above its columned portico in place of a dome that was never built.
Why it matters
The municipal account relates that a Marian image venerated in the contrata carcerum, the prison quarter outside Porta Boncompagni, became the focus of a healing in 1581. Bishop Bovio responded by commissioning a church in the second half of the sixteenth century. The design is attributed to Ottaviano Mascherino, an architect of the Roman circle of his generation. Its central octagonal plan places the building among Marian shrines of the period. The 2016 earthquake left the church unusable; a 2020 regional ordinance included it in a reconstruction programme.
What to notice
The central octagonal plan reflects a form associated with Marian shrines. The municipal description notes a hipped pyramidal roof that probably replaced a dome never constructed. A portico on pillars precedes the entrance. The dedication refers to the carceres, or prisons, of the ancient city, whose memory survives in the church's name and in nearby Porta Boncompagni.
Context and history
According to the municipal account, an image of the Madonna was venerated in the contrata carcerum just outside Porta Boncompagni, and the tradition associates it with the healing of a crippled person in 1581. Bishop Bovio decided to house the image in a purpose-built church beyond the ancient walls. Mascherino's octagonal design reflects a centralised plan associated with Marian shrines. The municipal page describes the hipped roof as probably substituting for the unbuilt dome. The church became unusable after the 2016 earthquake. A regional reconstruction programme for churches in the archdiocese of Camerino–San Severino Marche included it under Ordinance No. 105 of 17 September 2020.