Church of San Salvatore

Church of San Francesco

Church of San Valentino

The town of Terni, in spite of the heavy bombardments suffered during the Second World War, preserves in its historic nucleus interesting works of art from the past, among which an important place is occupied by the ancient sacred buildings.
CATHEDRAL: of Roman origin and dedicated to S. Maria Assunta, it was restructured in the half of the 17th century; the façade, preceded by a porch, has a fine portal dating back to the end of the 12th century, decorated by a frame of acanthus; the bell-tower was rebuilt in the 18th century. The interior, renovated in the 17th century, has three naves, and in the entrance wall the damage caused by the bombardments brought to light again the Romanesque façade with a rose-window and two mullioned windows. The church preserves interesting works of art among which has to be pointed out Livio Agresti's painting The Presentation in the Temple and Circumcision (1560); in the major chapel may be admired an altar, by Minelli, representing the most important work of art from the 18th century. The crypt, dating back to the 11 century and restored in the first years of the 20th century, is of considerable interest too.
CHURCH OF S. SALVATORE: is a very particular structure, formed from two adjacent buildings: one is a circular sanctuary dating back to the 5th century, the other, the forepart, rectangular in plan, existed since the 12th century, with simple façade decorated by a mullioned window and some little arches; the circular part was built over the ruins of a Roman "domus": the rooms of the house, with a thermal zone, extended abundantly beyond the church.
CHURCH OF S. FRANCESCO: a Gothic church, it was built in the second half of the 12th century, perhaps projected by Filippo da Campello; the building, in the course of centuries, underwent a number of alterations. The central part of the façade shows a fine Gothic portal with a round window above. The magnificent apse and the bell-tower decorated with two-lights mullioned windows are by Angelo da Orvieto. Inside the church is of particular interest the Cappella Paradisi, built by order of Paolo and Angelo Paradisi – the latter was Captain of the People in Florence from 1333 to 1335 – and decorated with frescoes depicting Dantesque scenes painted by Bartolomeo di Tommaso (15th century).
CHURCH OF S. ALÒ: a Romanesque building dating back to 1000 AD, it belonged to the Order of the Knights of Malta; restored in the Fifties, the church is divided into three naves by columns and pillars; there is a fine apse too.
CHURCH OF S. PIETRO: originally an oratory belonged to the Augustinian monks since 1257, the church is notable for a beautiful Gothic portal with a 15th century decoration in the gable; on the left side can be seen a part of the first structure and the squared bell-tower with mullioned windows. The interior, damaged by the bombardments, has been restructured in its original style, eliminating the parts added in the 18th century: today the church has a single nave with a polygonal apse, and interesting frescoes in the perimetral niches.
CHURCH OF S. LORENZO: it was built in the 13th century, above an older structure, and it was enlarged in the 17th century; restored after the bombardments, today has a façade decorated with three-lights mullioned windows and a blind portal, and a fine apse. The interior is divided into two naves of which a part is higher than the other.
CHURCH OF S. CRISTOFORO: dating back to the 13th century, the church was restored in the post-war period and divided into two parts: in the old area there are frescoes and remains from the 14th and the 15th centuries; the new area was once the sacristy, where, according to an old tradition, St. Francis performed a miracle; in the church is preserved also the stone from which the Saint used to speak to the believers.
Also noteworthy are THE BASILICA OF SAN VALENTINO and SANTA MARIA DEL MONUMENTO.