Chiesa di Santa Maria in Lapide

The church of Santa Maria in Lapide is situated between the villages of Forca and Migliarelli. The current layout of the original church, which remain the head cross and some highly valuable structural and decorative elements of the facade of the disappearance and equally lost lateral sides of the nave, has been involved in building a campaign that resulted in the almost total reconstruction in the second half of the century. XV and XX. In this phase of construction is perhaps inherent epigraph still observable in the external walls of the transept and handed down, according to Leporini (1973), the date of construction of the present building, which no longer legible: 1491. Judging from the bill of items Decorative facade disappeared, with particular reference to the main entrance portal, the building required the work of Lombard workers then particularly active in the city of Ascoli Piceno and the territory which, however, far dall’imprimere distinctive all ‘whole church in accordance with characteristics of a distinct stylistic and cultural baggage, confined their creative intervention only to items qualifying body. These elements were placed in an architectural situation entirely attributable to a building tradition deeply rooted in the Piceno territory, a tradition that was at one with the civilizing work lavished by Benedictine monks. The Latin cross with a single nave that flowed into Survivor transept, the presence, especially in the final side devoid of apse, of evidence to ensure control of the area and the defense insertion (slots, posterns, shelves support for mobile devices), are connected, in fact, an architectural culture spread well inland Piceno from sec. A. There are also the distinctive characteristics that make S. Maria in Lapide, beyond its indisputable historical – architectural, a really unique building: especially look at how the transept, qualifies as a compact and imposing that not only transfers the corresponding rooms of the church, but it has structured multi-story, accepting more rooms made in elevation relative to the structure of the church itself. Clearly, there comes an extraordinary fusion of representative values ​​and housing needs and defensive.