Ancona: Santa Maria della Piazza

Santa Maria della Piazza is arguably the most interesting church of Ancona, with a history that goes back at least 1,500 years. The most conspicuous elements of the church are its façade with many blind arches and nice sculptures, and its crypt with floor mosaics from the predecessor of the current church. My travel guide and several sources on the Internet still report that the crypt can only be seen through a glass window in the floor of the church. However, in the summer of 2024 I had no problem at all descending into the crypt itself and admire the floor mosaics from up close. Making a reservation for a guided tour turned out not to be necessary. The church does have a box for donations to support the maintenance of the building and I would advise each and every visitor to donate generously.

History

The first church on this spot was built in the fourth or fifth century outside the city walls, just over one hundred metres from the water. It is possible that this church was damaged during the Gothic war (535-554) and then restored or rebuilt. In the ninth century an Arab army attacked Ancona, causing the church to be abandoned. There is some discussion about whether this first church was the original cathedral of Ancona, dedicated to Saint Stephen. Stephen was, of course, the protomartyr of the new Christian religion. Because of blasphemy he was stoned to death outside Jerusalem. According to tradition a sailor then took one of the rocks used in the execution with him to Ancona. This was the rock that had hit the martyr’s elbow, and coincidentally the Greek word for elbow is Ἀγκών (Ankon), so no one was surprised that this rock ended up in Ancona.

For centuries the rock was kept in the original cathedral of the city. There are several clues that the predecessor of the Santa Maria della Piazza was indeed the cathedral of Santo Stefano. In the crypt, for instance, one can find a mosaic or tombstone with a Latin text which, if I read it correctly, reads HIC REQVISCIT STEFANVS FILIVS SARA[…], “here lies Stefanus, son of Sara”. Obviously this Stefanus is not Saint Stephen the Protomartyr, but possibly someone named after the saint and buried in “his” church.

The current church was built in the eleventh or twelfth century in the Romanesque style and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The façade dates from 1210 and is the work of a certain magister Philippus, who is mentioned in the text above the entrance. The beautifully sculpted portal is apparently the work of another architect, one magister Leonardus. The upper part of the façade was lost in an earthquake in 1690. It was rebuilt in brick and provided with a large rectangular window. In the twentieth century the popular idea was to give medieval churches back their original appearance. During a restoration led by the art historian Luigi Serra (1881-1940) all post-medieval elements in the church were removed and the building acquired its original Romanesque interior again. More restorations took place in 1955, 1972 and 1980 respectively.

Art

The middle part of magister Philippus’ façade consists of four rows of blind arches, some of which still have decorations. The second row for instance has nine arches with circular holes into which multi-coloured dishes could be inserted. Seven out of nine holes still contain ceramics from the seventeenth century. In the middle of the third row we find a relief of the Virgin Mary with raised hands, the so-called Vergine Orante. She could not be omitted of course, as the church is dedicated to her. To the left of the Virgin we see the archangel Gabriel and above that, in the fourth row, a peacock. In Christian iconography peacocks symbolise immortality. Inside the church we will encounter them again.

If we study the portal by magister Leonardus, we will mostly notice the sculpted decorations of the outer arch. Here we find all kinds of little figures, both humans and animals. The bottom-right figure is for instance an elephant, an animal that was apparently somewhat popular in Ancona (the current cathedral of the city is decorated with sculptures of elephants as well). The lunette above the entrance has been embellished with a strange relief featuring five bearded men. The meaning of the scene is uncertain, but it is quite possible that the relief was not made for this church at all. At first I thought I was looking at a fragment of a Last Supper, but it is much more likely that the men are prophets, as they seem to be holding scrolls. Below the relief is a fairly obscure text in Latin. In any case, it mentions magister Philippus, as was already stated above. A “serene pope” is also mentioned, probably Innocentius III (1198-1216), together with a PRINCEPS OTTO, who must be Otto IV, Holy Roman emperor between 1209 and 1218.

The interior of the church is remarkably simple. Except for a crucifix in the apse there are no decorations. For decorations we need to descend into the crypt, where we can admire mosaics from the fourth to sixth centuries. The most spectacular floor mosaic here once again represents two peacocks, depicted on either side of a “thing” that could either be some kind of Fountain of Life or a plant. Other mosaics mostly feature geometric patterns, including the famous Solomonic knots, symbols of eternity or infinity. Some mosaics have texts, although these are often hard to interpret as parts of the letters have been lost. In the crypt one can also find remnants of early medieval frescoes, including frescoes of vela (painted curtains) and of saints.

Sources: Bradt travel guide Umbria & the Marche (2021), p. 225, Santa Maria della Piazza | Ancona Tourism and Chiesa di Santa Maria della Piazza – Wikipedia. For a detailed discussion of the church, see Geology and Cultural Heritage: characterization and provenance of local stones and spolia used in the Romanesque façade of Santa Maria della Piazza church (Ancona, Central Italy).