This content was automatically translated. View the original text.
Church and Crypt of St Francis in Vetralla: Roman Fragments and Cosmati Floor
The church of San Francesco in Vetralla houses one of the most interesting Cosmati floors in Tuscia, along with an early medieval crypt carved out between the 7th and 8th centuries, in the historic centre of a town along the Via Francigena.
A church that changed its name
The building, originally dedicated to St Mary in Valle Cajana, was built on an already existing structure from the 7th century AD. The people of Viterbo destroyed it at the end of the 12th century, and it was rebuilt in Romanesque style, and re-consecrated in 1207, the year of Pope Innocent III's visit. In the 15th century, the Franciscan friars arrived, and the church was then dedicated to St Francis.
What to see inside
The façade is made of tuff and peperino blocks, with reused stone fragments from the nearby town of Forum Cassii — including a piece of marble with the remains of a Latin inscription. Some of the column capitals are also of Roman origin. But it is the 13th-century Cosmati floor that truly stands out: white marble, red and green porphyry, geometric decorations featuring Flowers of Life and Sierpinski Triangles. Along the naves, there are frescoes from the 15th and 16th centuries, including a St Bernardino with Four Angels attributed to Andrea del Castagno and a St Anthony Abbot with predella (altarpiece base) attributed to the anonymous Maestro dell’Osservanza.
The crypt
The crypt is the oldest part: it has a trapezoidal plan, six small naves, and reused columns. Traces of the original painting remain on the cross vaults.
