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Church of St Pancras in Isola Farnese: hidden frescoes at the gates of Rome
The Church of San Pancrazio (St Pancras) is located in the village of Isola Farnese. Consecrated in 1559, it houses a cycle of frescoes from the 15th and 16th centuries that make it an unexpected discovery. Established as a parish in 1590, it is also dedicated to the Beata Vergine Coronata (Our Lady of the Crown).
Uncertain foundation and Roman marbles
The founding dates are uncertain — some say 1200, others 1400. Adding to the confusion is a fresco in the right nave depicting St Bartholomew, St Julian and the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, dated to the 4th century. The façade features a portal in Roman marble and a rose window with polychrome glass. On the left corner, embedded in the edge, is a funerary marker dedicated to Lucius Munatius Felix, with an urceus — a small vessel used for sacrificial rites - carved on its side.
Three naves, all expectations met
The interior has three naves. In the apse, a fresco from the school of Melozzo da Forlì depicts the dormitio of the Virgin Mary among the twelve apostles, and the coronation of the Virgin. In the left nave, a canvas of St Pancras the Martyr by Pomarancio reproduces a view of the village in the background. The right nave houses a wooden Crucifix from the School of Giotto (15th century) and a canvas attributed to Cavalier d'Arpino. Beneath the altar, the relics of St Pancras, St Andrew the Apostle, and St Lucy are preserved. The bronze door, created in 2013 by Pino Schiti and Sara Chirico, is composed of panels illustrating the key moments in the life of St Pancras the Martyr.
