The oratory of Saint Joseph was used by a lay fraternity whose main concern was caring for those who had been condemned to death. The first version of the building was erected between 1503 and 1515, and co-sponsored by Duke Guidobaldo da Montefeltro (1472-1508) and his wife Elisabetta Gonzaga (1471-1526). The duke was himself a member of the fraternity. Around 1550 the construction of the Cappella del Presepe (chapel of the crib) started, a chapel that will be discussed in greater detail below. Of the original oratory only this chapel was preserved.
The oratory suffered badly from water infiltration, and between 1682 and 1689 it was completely rebuilt. In the late eighteenth century the Cappella dello Sposalizio (chapel of the marriage, i.e. that of the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph) was added. This chapel will also be discussed below. Apart from beautiful art, visitors to the oratory will also see costumes of members of various fraternities and portraits of famous members of the fraternity of Saint Joseph. One of them was Timoteo Viti (1469-1523), a painter from Urbino who became a student of Raphael. Other important members were scions of the Italian-Albanian Albani family, including Giovanni Francesco Albani (1649-1721; the future Pope Clemens XI), his brother Orazio Albani (1652-1712) and his nephew cardinal Annibale Albani (1682-1751).
The central space of the oratory is the small church. On the orders of Orazio Albani it was provided with splendid frescoes by the Baroque painter Carlo Roncalli (ca. 1680-after 1743). We see, among other things, a magnificent ceiling, and on the walls four oil paintings with important scenes from the life of Saint Joseph. The large statue of the saint behind the high altar was made by Giuseppe Lironi from Como (died 1749) and was a gift by Annibale Albani, whose name is mentioned on the pedestal. The statue stands inside an aedicule with two porphyry columns. These are originally from Rome and are said to have once adorned the Pantheon.
Cappella dello Sposalizio.
The Cappella dello Sposalizio dates from about 1794. The design of the chapel is usually attributed to Giuseppe Valadier (1762-1839), who was also a member of the fraternity and around this time worked on the restoration of the cathedral of Urbino (damaged by an earthquake in 1789). The stucco decorations are probably the work of Francesco Antonio Rondelli (1759-1848), another member. The most important artwork in the chapel is a copy of the Marriage of the Virgin by Raphael (1483-1520), the most famous painter spawned by Renaissance Urbino. The original is now in the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan; the copy was painted between 1606 and 1609 by Gian Andrea Urbani (1568-1632). Between 1965 and 2020 the copy was on display at the house in Urbino where Raphael was born. However, in January of the latter year the work was returned to the oratory.
And then we get to the absolute highlight, the Cappella del Presepe. Using tuff and pumice, the sculptor Federico Brandani (ca. 1520-1575) replicated the cave where Jesus Christ was said to have been born. Inside the cave he created a stucco Christmas crib with statuettes of baby Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph (in a pensive mood), four shepherds and several animals. In the background a city is visible. It should be Bethlehem, but it looks more like Urbino. The ceiling with angels is also a miracle to behold.
Cappella del Presepe.
This post is chiefly based on the information panels in the oratory.