Santa Maria Maddalena, Matelica
Santa Maria Maddalena, also called the Chiesa della Beata Mattia is a Baroque-style, Roman Catholic church and monastery located on a cul de sac of Via Beata Mattia #39, where it intersects with Via Damiano Chiesa, in Matelica, province of Macerata, region of Marche, Italy.
History
[edit]The church is among the oldest in Matelica and construction began in 1225, when a group of Clarissine nuns, including Sister Mattia, established a convent. In 1765, the Sister was beatified, and the church is known for Blessed Mattia. The church has a tall campanile, which served as an overlook for the southern approach to the city. An earthquake in 1740 caused major damage, and in 1750, the church underwent a major reconstruction, including the formulation of a baroque façade, work commissioned by Enrico Mattei and using designs of Gaetano Maggi and Domenico Luigi Valeri.
The interiors were built still maintaining a screened separation of the cloistered nuns from the lay public. The columns are colored in scagliola. The main altar houses the incorrupt body of the Blessed Mattia in a glass case.[1]
In the monastery, which extends to the right of the facades are housed some of the works of art from the site including a 13th-century painted Crucifix with Madonna and John the Baptist. The church contains a Madonna and Child painted by 13th-century Masters, including Maestro della Culla.[2]
43°15′12.6″N 13°00′27.9″E / 43.253500°N 13.007750°E
References
[edit]- ^ Tourism office of Macerata, by Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio Provincia di Macerata, entry on the church.
- ^ Comune of Matelica, artistic patrimony.