The original church is traditionally believed to date back to 1219, the year when Saint Francis of Assisi is said to have passed through Pontremoli, inspiring such fervor in the population that the local government decided to build a convent. It was certainly a modest complex, but it is remembered for the oath made on May 27, 1321, between the Pontremoli Ghibellines and Castruccio degli Antelminelli. The church is also mentioned in a brief document from Pope Sixtus IV in 1471, which granted a special indulgence for the chapel built in the church of San Francesco by Nicodemo Trincadini. From the original church, the Romanesque bell tower (bearing the bell dated 1311) and the substantial structure of the church are still visible. The building is adjacent to the Bishop’s Seminary complex, which, along with the church, formed the Convent of the Minor Friars. The original church was a point of reference for the Franciscan reform and for the reception of pilgrims traveling along the ancient Via Francigena.

The church was enlarged in the 15th century and features a Latin cross layout, with a central nave, transept, and apse higher than the lateral naves. Inside, visitors can admire a 15th-century marble bas-relief attributed to Agostino di Duccio, a pupil of Donatello, depicting an elegant Madonna and Child. Among the important works housed in the church are paintings such as the “Crucifixion” by Guido Reni and “Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata” by Giambettino Cignaroli. The choir stalls, created in 1508 by the famous intarsia artist Luchino da Parma, feature a series of inlaid panels along the wall.

The main facade, facing the square of the same name, was enhanced in the 18th century with a substantial pronaos made of local sandstone by the artist Giovan Battista Natali. During the same period, his father, Francesco Natali, was commissioned to create the frescoes for the chapel of Saint Francis, followed by those for the chapel of Saint Ursula. The decoration of the chapels follows the stylistic themes of “quadrature,” a popular genre in Pontremoli. The large white marble altar, with inlays of multicolored marbles, was completed in 1713 under the will of the guardian friar Bonaventura Conti, while the exquisite stucco decorations on the vaults, pilasters, and arches are attributed to the workshop of the Ticinese masters Portogalli.

photos: arch. Elia Santini