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Church of St Peter Apostle in Grotte di Castro: a thousand years at the highest point of the village
Located at the summit of Grotte di Castro, the Church of San Pietro Apostolo has stood since before 1118, the year in which it was consecrated by Bishop Guglielmo of Orvieto. It serves as the village's parish church. The original building had a basilican plan with three aisles. Over the centuries it was transformed into a single-aisle hall, the entrance was reversed, the main body extended, and the bell tower raised. Construction of the current façade began in 1739, featuring two orders with stucco framing and a tympanum adorned with the Sacred Keys.
The ceiling that changed shape twice
At the end of the 19th century, architect Luigi Fontana demolished the vault of the presbytery and built the current coffered ceiling, decorating it with four paintings: Assumption of the Virgin, the Four Prophets, St Peter Healing the Lame Man, and St Paul Preaching in Athens. In 1959 a portion of the ceiling collapsed. During the subsequent restoration work, a fifth painting was added: The Mission of the Apostles by Father Nazareno Confaloni.
