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Church of the Annunciation in Bagnoregio: Sienese frescoes and a Renaissance cloister in Piazza Sant'Agostino
The Church of the Annunciation overlooks Piazza Sant'Agostino, in the centre of Bagnoregio. Everyone calls it "the church of St Augustine" — because of the Augustinian convent that once stood beside it — but its official name is Chiesa dell'Annunziata.
The building, a single-nave structure with a truss roof, houses Sienese-school frescoes and a wooden crucifix dating from the 1400s.
From Romanesque to Gothic in a few centuries
The original structure dates back to the 11th century, and was built in the Romanesque style. In the 14th century it underwent a Gothic transformation, with the pointed arch separating the nave from the apse. The church is further enhanced by a slender bell tower dating from the 18th century.
What to see inside
The frescoes span a period from the 14th to the 16th century. Some are attributed to Taddeo di Bartolo and Giovanni di Paolo, two major figures in Sienese painting. There is also a St Monica, her cloak held up by angels, a work by Giovan Francesco d'Avanzarano, and a wooden crucifix from the 1400s.
The cloister and Ippolito Scalza's well
The cloister, built entirely in brick, was designed by architect Michele Sanmicheli in the mid-16th century, and carried out by Orvietan architect Ippolito Scalza. At its centre stands an elegant well added by Scalza himself in the 17th century.
