Of the former Santa Maria delle Fortezze Church in Viterbo, there is not much more left than three frescoed arches. This abandoned church is located near the railway station, just outside the city wall.
Santa Maria delle Fortezze Church Viterbo
Useful information
Address: Via delle Fortezze, 12. What is left of the church can be freely visited.
History and description
The Santa Maria delle Fortezze Church is located near the Porta Leonardo, a city gate which was bricked up in the 16th century. of the church, only the back part is still standing.
The church was constructed in 1514, on top of an earlier church. This church had been built on top of a fortress constructed by Henry IV. It is likely that the name delle fortezze derives from this early history.
The, probable, architect was Battista di Giuliano (da Cortona), who had also been responsible for the vault of the Santa Maria della Quercia Church. The actual work was done by Maestro Ambrogio di Bartolomeo (da Milano).
The church functioned normally, until most of it was destroyed by bombardments in World War II. It probably paid the price for being located near the road to Rome. The damage was so bad that the church was abandoned and never reconstructed.
What to see
Parts of the floor decorations and some frescoes are the only ornaments that survived the bombings.