Santa Maria di Piazza
The former church of Santa Maria di Piazza is the oldest and certainly the most interesting of all the churches in the charming town of Pergola. The history of the church is said to go back at least a millennium. According to tradition it was founded in the first decade of the eleventh century by monks from the Abbey of Santa Maria di Sitria. Perhaps its construction was ordered by Saint Romualdus of Ravenna (ca. 951-1027), founder of the Camaldolese order, a branch of the Benedictines. Pergola itself was only founded in 1234 by people from Gubbio in Umbria, which makes the church more than two centuries older than the town. Apparently a vine-covered pergola had been built against the original church building, and that is said to explain the name of the town. Obviously we wanted to visit a church with such an interesting history, but unfortunately we found the doors closed during our first attempt. There was no need to worry, however, as we had heard that in the evening of 14 August 2024 many churches in Pergola would open their doors as part of Palazzi e chiese aperte. And so we were able to admire the interior of the church after all.
Not much of the original medieval building has been preserved. A large renovation in 1831 removed many remaining medieval elements. Much of the art in the church consists of seventeenth-century paintings by anonymous masters. One example is the altarpiece, which represents an Annunciation. We had read that the church has a crucifix by the fourteenth-century painter Mello da Gubbio and asked the volunteer we met in the church, Enrico, about it. This led to a rather comical situation, which occurs ever more often in modern Italy. While we wanted to show that we were quite capable of speaking a few words in Italian, Enrico wanted to demonstrate his proficiency in the English language. Moreover, Enrico wanted to establish whether we really knew who Mello da Gubbio was or were just blabbering. He took us to the back of the church and asked us which of the works of art there had been painted by Mello. When I immediately answered that it was “il crocifisso”, his response was: “Ah, bravo, una caramella!” (“Ah, very good, a candy for you!”)
Interior of the church.
Mello da Gubbio was a student of Ambrogio Lorenzetti (ca. 1290-1348) of Siena. His crucifix in the Santa Maria di Piazza dates from ca. 1330-1340 and comes from the church of San Francesco in Pergola. The work was placed here in 2016 after the notorious earthquake of that year had damaged the San Francesco. We see an emaciated Christ, his ribs clearly visible and dressed in just a loincloth, hanging from the cross. The Virgin Mary (left) and Saint John the Evangelist (right) have been painted on the outer ends of the cross, but the latter is now heavily damaged. At the blooded feet of the Saviour we can still see parts of a woman’s face, no doubt that of Mary Magdalene. Lastly, above the titulus with the letters INRI – which stands for IESUS NAZARENUS REX IUDEORUM – a Christ (or God the Father) giving his blessing has been painted. The crucifix is hardly a capolavoro, but it is always nice that works that are more than 700 years old can still be admired today.
The most interesting work of art can be found in the apse of the church. I am referring to a large but unfortunately damaged fresco of the Crucifixion and the Tree of Life (lignum vitae). Enrico announced it to us as una sorpresa (a surprise), and that was exactly what it was. In the seventeenth century the fresco disappeared behind a layer of plaster when a new altarpiece in a Baroque aedicule was placed in the apse. A niche had to be made for the aedicule to fit, and this caused the loss of the central part of the fresco. After an equally notorious earthquake in 1997 consolidation works were carried out in the apse. The Baroque aedicule was removed and the fresco was rediscovered. Since 2010 it has been visible again for the public. The caption of the fresco attributes it to Giovanni Antonio Bellinzoni da Pesaro (ca. 1415-1478), but this attribution is debated nowadays. There is also discussion about the dating of the work (1451 according to the caption, but with a question mark).
Apse fresco, presumably by Giovanni Antonio Bellinzoni da Pesaro.
Left side of the fresco.
According to the restorer Andrea Fedeli multiple painters were involved in the making of the frescoes. He believes the left part dates from the end of the fourteenth century and attributes it to a painter from the school of Giotto. The right part is supposedly several decades younger and is attributed to a painter from the Venetian school by Fedeli. The latter painter nevertheless painted in the style of the fourteenth century. This is also the story that Enrico told us, but according to an information panel in the church the attribution to the studio of Giovanni Antonio Bellinzoni da Pesaro is still the most widely accepted theory, although the panel does admit that two consecutive painters were indeed involved in making the fresco. There is little doubt that the discussion about the attribution will continue.
Right side of the fresco.
Let us now take a look at the fresco itself. The centre used to depict the Crucifixion, but unfortunately it is lost, although we still see Christ’s feet. Moreover, his face was recently rediscovered in the Duomo of Pergola. Christ was crucified between two criminals, of whom the one on the left is still partly visible. We see how he has been tied to the cross with ropes, which is historically correct. To the left of the criminal five figures have been depicted. The man is undeniably Saint John, the three women are probably the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene (who faints) and Mary of Clopas. A fifth figure, whose face has been lost, helps Saint John support Mary Magdalene. Perhaps this is Joseph of Arimathea, but it is regretfully not even certain whether we are looking at a man or a woman. The scene on the right is very different. Here we see Saint John the Baptist and a bishop named Saint Athanasius. It is not clear which Athanasius he is exactly. One is inclined to think of Athanasius, patriarch of Alexandria between 328 and 373, but in the ninth century there was also a bishop of Naples named Athanasius. The prettiest little detail of the fresco is the small devil on the cross of the criminal on the right: it can be seen stealing the man’s soul.
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