The San Filippo Neri Church in Spoleto was built in the 17th century by the local architect Loreto Scelli. Highlights are the marble bust of San Filippo Neri and the paintings by Sebastiano Conca and his workshop.
San Filippo Neri Church Spoleto
Address, opening hours and admission
Address: Piazza Mentana – Spoleto. Tel: +39 0743 44140. Opening hours: Unknown. Admission: Free.
History
The Church of San Filippo Neri is dedicated to the Florentine saint, who died in 1595 and was canonized in 1622. Construction of the church started in 1640 and ended in 1671, with the completion of the impressive dome. The nave was already completed in 1653.
Construction of the church was financed by two Spoleto-born men, called Ugo Alberici and Loreto Vittori, both living in Rome at the time. The architect, Loreto Scelli, was also from Spoleto.
The adjacent Filippini convent was built in 1674. In 1860, when religious orders were forbidden after the Unification of Italy, the convent became a school. Three years later it was turned into a judicial court, a function it still holds.
In 2014, after a long restoration, the church reopened.
Description
A short set of steps leads to the entrance of the church. The interior consists of three naves, separated by pillars. The dome is above the part where the cental nave and the transept cross each other.
Highlights
Gaetano Lapis painted the “Presentation of the Virgin at the Temple” and the “Crucifixion”. Lapis (1706-1773) was a late baroque painter who born in Cagli, but moved to Rome where he worked in Sebastiano Conca‘s studio.
Conca himself painted the “Holy Family”.
The local artist Francesco Refini was responsible for the “San Francesco di Sales Tramples Heresy” in the left transept.
Lazzaro Baldi painted the “Descent of the Holy Ghost”. Baldi (1624-1703) was another baroque painter who spent most of his life in Rome. Tere he workled first for Pietro da Cortona before perfecting his art in the Accademia di San Luca.
The high altar was made in the 19th century.
Alessandro Agardi sculpted the marble bust of San Filippo Neri in the presbytery (1650).
Most of these works of art were moved to the Museo Diocesano for the restoration and are still there at the moment.