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Church of Holy Mary of Grace in Montopoli di Sabina: the Baroque below street level
The Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie is located just outside Montopoli di Sabina, in the province of Rieti, along the road leading to Mompeo. Its distinctive feature is the fact that the Baroque façade sits almost entirely below street level. To reach it, you have to descend via a side road.
A 16th-century church with a fresco commissioned by the Farnese family
The building is an example of late 16th-century architecture. In 1602, Cardinal Alessandro Farnese commissioned Andrea Bacciomei to paint a fresco for the high altar depicting the Madonna and Child, which is preserved with both signature and date. In 1760, six niches for statues of saints were added, though the statues were never placed there. The plaque on the counter-façade inside commemorates the restoration of 1854. Between 1970 and 1980, an iron altar was added at the centre of the presbytery alongside the original wall-mounted altar table.
An all-white interior beneath a dome of light
The interior has a single nave. Semicircular columns with composite capitals and Ionic volutes mark the white stucco-decorated walls and support the cornice from which the dome rises, crowned by a central lantern. The presbytery, set at a lower level, is covered by a groin vault, with a stucco altar featuring a double broken triangular pediment that frames Bacciomei's fresco. The floor is in terracotta, and the rounded corners hold small niches for votive statues. The pitched roof with clay tiles follows the two different heights of the building.
