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Church of the Immaculate Conception in Arpino: The Baroque Sanctuary of the Knights of Malta
In 1698 the Knights of Malta established a commandery in Arpino and built the Church of the Immaculate Conception as the chapel of their convent. The building is Baroque, designed with an elliptical ground plan that is unusual for religious architecture in the Ciociaria region. The façade is simple, in local stone, with a portal surmounted by the Order's coat of arms, namely a white octagonal cross on a red field. The complex remained the property of the Order until the 19th century, before being passed on to the diocesan clergy.
The Baroque Interior
The nave is elliptical in shape, with six side chapels arranged along the long sides of the ellipse. The vault is decorated with 18th-century stuccoes and frescoes depicting scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary, attributed to painters of the early 18th-century Roman school. The high altar houses a good-quality canvas of the Immaculate Conception painted in 1710 by an unknown artist. The side chapels house devotional paintings and wooden processional statues still used on feast days.
The Convent and Location
The church faces onto Via Cavalieri di Malta, in the historic centre of Arpino. The adjoining convent was converted into private dwellings in the 20th century, but the façade retains the original entrance portal with the Maltese coat of arms. The church is open for worship, and hosts parish community services. From here, the Ducal Castle and the Acropolis of Civitavecchia with its walls in polygonal masonry can be reached by climbing up the town. Arpino has one of the best-stratified historic centres in Ciociaria.
