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Feel Senigallia will remind you what to do and what exciting news is in the city (and surrounding areas).
The Church of Santa Maria of the bridge of the port takes its name from the only bridge that connected the two side of the Misa river. In the harbour district there was already a small church from 1456, of which it is still possible recognize the doors on the side facade. Due to some floods, the church has had various modifications. In 1858 the present-day structure in neoclassical style was built on the project of architect Giuseppe Ferroni, student of Pietro Ghinelli and author of the Chapel of the Madonna of the hope near the Cathedral of Senigallia.As the inscription on the main facade recalls, the reconstruction was possible thanks to a donation by Papa Pio IX.
The daily life of the port district was strongly linked to maritime activity and the legend tells of the finding of a wooden crucifix in the seabed still kept inside the church.
A few meters from Palazzo Comunale (Town hall) and the main street called Corso II Giugno, Chiesa della Croce is a real and probably unexpected surprise. The late-Renaissance sober facade contrasts with the opulent and magnificent Baroque style of the interior space, enriched by the painting known as “Sepoltura di Cristo” (Burial of Christ) by Federico Barocci.
Designed by the Duke’s architect Muzio Oddi, the Church was consecrated in 1608 by Confraternita del Sacramento e della Croce (Confraternity of Sacrament and Cross) that was committed in assisting the poor. The original idea was to create an oratory for the confraternity and, in fact, its structure reminds of a hall, rather than a church.
The marvellous stucco and gold decoration includes six lateral altars and the unusual coffered ceiling, a masterpiece with golden/bronze colour shades.
The valuable small church contains may important works of art, among them a real gem: the Altar Piece painted by Federico Barocci in 1592 representing the burial of Christ. Mount Calvary and the Duke’s Palace of Urbino can be seen in the background. Of the lateral altars, the one dedicated to Saint Barbara is worth mentioning. Two cannons frame the portrait of the patroness of bombardiers who had a training school near Rocca Roveresca.
A remarkable piece is the organ built by Gaetano Callido in 1775.
At the end of Cavour street stands out the Church of Immaculate.
The first structure dates back to 1630. After the earthquake of 1930, the building was rebuilt.On this occasion was annexed the “Chapel to the fallen of Flight”, at the right of the entrance, while the interior of the church was enriched with works that recall the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, occurred by the Senigallia’s Papa Pio IX in 1854.
The front side has a Lombard Gothic style with rose window, pointed arches and Corinthian capitals. The majolica bezel at the entrance portal is the work of the senigallian sculptor Enrico Mazzolani.
In Piazza Garibaldi, in front of the Duomo of Senigallia, stands the now deconsecrated San Rocco.
The history of the Church of San Rocco is linked to the company of Saints Rocco and Sebastiano, which was founded in Senigallia in 1575, but this building was built later and dates back to the 18th century enlargement.
The facade had two architectural orders (photo 2);unfortunately during the earthquake of 1930 all the upper part, which dominated the surrounding buildings, was destroyed, as the bell tower behind.
Later San Rocco was converted into Auditorium and nowadays hosts concerts, conferences and shows.
The present Cathedral (before this one there existed 3 other ones at Senigallia, which were repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt) was completed and consecrated in 1790.
The front is in a neo classic style according to a project by Cav. Augusto Innocenti and was added during the 2nd half of the XIX th century, at the time of Pope Pius IX.
The plan is a roman cross with 3 aisles. In the sacristy there are 11 altars with numerous important paintings by artists of the XVI th, XVII th, XVIII th, and XIX th century.
In the right transept there is the Chapel of the Madonna della Speranza (Madonna of Hope), venerated as the patron saint of the city since 1578.
Legend tells, and research confirms it, that the famous Maddalena fair was born in the 13th century, after some relics of the saint and of her brother Lazarus were brought to Senigallia by a Marseillaise princess, wife of a local gentleman. They were placed in the Lombard church of San Gregorio, which later took the name of Church of Maddalena.
In the Middle Ages there were many cases of fairs-markets born in places where people went on pilgrimage for the relics of some saint; the same thing happened in Senigallia. The relics became such an object of veneration to recall many pilgrims, especially on the day dedicated to her, the 22nd of July. This was the origin of a fair that later became the great Maddalena Fair that took place in the second half of July. In the 15th century the relics were stolen but the church kept the name.
The building was rebuilt by Giovanni of the Rovere in 1480 and in this famous “Temple” took place his funeral. Today’s structure dates back to a third reconstruction of 1756. Today, inside, is buried the famous senigallian mathematician Giulio Carlo Fagnani.
Now you are in front of the peculiar gates of the Church of S. Maria Assunta, called Church of the Gates.
The real facade is moved back about three meters from the street and the church has a profile typically nineteenth century.Inside is kept an Organo Bazzani of 1856 restored in 2005.
The present building was inaugurated in 1854 following a renovation financed by Papa Pio IX. It is remembered by the great papal coat of arms and the inscription located just below the pediment.The Pontiff wanted to dedicate this renewed place to the religious practices of the young people who were studying in the nearby Pio gymnasium and of all the religious who lived there.
Today, also thanks to the restoration of 2018, the Church of the Gates hosts various cultural events like concerts and theater performances, as well as conferences and meetings.
The history of the Church of San Martino goes on with that of the Order of the Servants of Mary who arrived in Senigallia in 1468 and built their first church in 1473.
After a troubled history of repeated destruction and rebuilding, in the 1750 was inaugurated the present-day structure designed by architects Alessandro Rossi from Osimo and Domenico Valeri from Jesi.
Inside are kept exceptional pictorial documents including the “San Martino” of Terenzio Terenzi known as the Rondolino and “The Visit of the Virgin to Saint Anna” of the Guercino dated 1642.
The Church of S. Maria of Carmelo and S. Biagio Bishop and Martyr is called by the inhabitants of Senigallia “Chiesa del Carmine”.
In 1587 Ms. Servilia Bisconti left a considerable inheritance to the Carmelite Order for the construction of a convent with a related church, which was built in 1628.
The interior is in eighteenth-century style with a single nave.
The altarpiece is an oil painting on canvas depicting the Madonna of Carmelo that gives the scapular to San Simone Stock, attributed to Antonino Sarti (1580 – 1647) from Jesi.
The church dedicated to the Madonna of Carmine has found a renewed cult for the presence of the relics of Saint Valentine. Placed in an urn under the altar, they were taken in 1807 from the catacombs of St. Priscilla in Rome and donated by Cardinal Domenico Lucciardi to the Prior of the period in 1853.
At the end of Viale Leopardi, near the confluence of the Penna torrent with the Misa river, stood the village called “Portone”.The name derived by the big door called in dialect “spurton” which since the end of the XVI century regulated the water of the bend of Misa.The ancient presence of this suburban settlement, which lived by fishing with scales, is witnessed by the church of the same name, documented since 1628.
The present Church of Portone was consacreted on October 18th of 1934 and it’s the third building in time.After the demolition of the second structure due to the earthquake of 1930, the church was rebuilt in the present headquarters, in the center of the square of the Victory, surrounded by beautiful villas, some in perfect Liberty style, of the new neighborhood where the city expanded.
The old site is reminded with a small icon inserted in the old painting depicting the Madonna of the snow, owner of the church, placed in the chapel of the same name, at the left of the main altar.
Feel Senigallia will remind you what to do and what exciting news is in the city (and surrounding areas).