This content was automatically translated. View the original text.
Church of San Salvatore in Vicovaro: where Gothic meets Classical
The Church of San Salvatore is located in the centre of Vicovaro, in the province of Rome. Probably built during the Middle Ages on the remains of a Roman building, it has a single rectangular hall with a wooden truss roof. You want a reason to visit? A Gothic chapel of the Orsini family that you wouldn't expect in a town of just a few thousand inhabitants.
The Orsini chapel and the peperino arch
The church has one chapel on the right and two on the left. Of the two on the left, the most interesting is the Gothic-style chapel commissioned by the Orsini family, dedicated to the Madonna of Loreto. One enters through an elaborate polylobed arch in peperino stone; the style recalls that of Sulmona, and dates back to the first half of the 15th century.
Stuccoes, columns and an unusual bell tower
The altar niche is in classical style, and richly decorated with stuccoes, featuring smooth columns with Ionic capitals and a coffered vault adorned with floral motifs. It is centuries away from the Gothic chapel, yet they coexist within the same building. And it is this blend — from Gothic to 18th-century classical — that makes the church so distinctive. Also worth noting is the characteristic bell gable, quite different from the more common bell towers.
