The church of “San Benedetto” was built between 1817 and 1819 on a project by Gaspero Pampaloni with the means provided by a bequest from the merchant Benedetto Fagiuoli. I am not really sure if the name of the church was chosen to honor the Saint or the munificent donor. A bell tower was added in 1860, when the rectory behind the church was enlarged.
The church dominate one end of “Piazza XX Settembre”, now reclaimed as a public square after decades of occupation by the shanty town of the “Mercatino Americano”. The young Pietro Mascagni practised the organ in this church.See also: Forlorn Grand Duke - Mercatino Americano - Place d'Italie?
15 comments:
A very interesting looking church. I don't think I've seen one like it before. I hope they get the mess cleaned up soon. So the statue can be enjoyed properly.
Doesn't look much like a church (well, I guess churches can look anyway they want...) - more like a municipal building...
Impressive, however. I remember the mess in the public square from previous photos...it will be interesting to see how that looks when it is all reclaimed.
Nice shot, VP!
The church seems so modest and quite modern compared with so many other Italian churches. And, it really is a messy environment, isn't it?
I think I successfully installed my new modem, have new service, and am permanently back online. Hope so!!
The back of the church looks as interesting as the front. I really hope they get the plaza fixed up soon.
Your country is full of beautiful art and history.
And I guess that is one of the reasons why many ART students from Norway go to Italy when they study.
I agree - it's less church looking, more city hall looking!
I like the colour of the facade though. It's nice.
I like the second shot best. It does look like a church there. If this church hadn't existed, would Mascagni have become who he was?
great shots and very interesting about the shanty town. The public square should be beautiful when it is complet.
My heart is bleeding looking at that mess at this beautiful place. Looks like there is enough scrap there to make a buck or two - hope somebody takes advantage :)
@ Hilda - You are right because the back of the church morphs in an apartment building which is part of the rectory.
@ Ellie - Works are still in progress, since tomorrow they'll start to pack most of the trash, tearing down the last four stalls.
Sounds like a clever move - picking a name sufficiently ambiguous to keep everyone happy...
Such a great place! Thanks for sharing.
A church with apartments in the former rectory? That sounds so strange to me, but cool too!
The façade is so beautiful and it has adorable columns and I hope the piazza will be soon renovated.
Léia
Huge church!
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