Luogo - Religious building
SAN FRANCESCO DELLA SCARPA
Where
Via Mazara, Sulmona (L'Aquila)
Formerly dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, the church of San Francesco della Scarpa was restored by order of Charles of Anjou who, in 1290, allocated a huge sum for enlarging the building. An earthquake destroyed most of the church, which was later re-built in Baroque style and detached from the extant buildings. The new structure has a central plan and was stuccoed by Lombard artists who gathered around Pietro Piazzoli. It keeps a noteworthy fifteenth-century wooden cross and traces of fourteenth-century frescoes. The remains of the apse and of the monumental splayed side-portal, with a frescoed lunette, are remarkable as well.
