Church of the former convent of San Francesco in Nazzano. Study and conservation proposal
The convent of St. Francesco is located outside the medieval village of Nazzano in northern Lazio.
The primitive church of the Franciscan Friars Minor was built in 1229; in the eighteenth century it was
rebuilt from the foundations.
After the suppression of the order and at the end of a long series of changes in ownership, the convent was
converted into a residence and the Fondo degli Edifici di Culto became the owner of the church. The two
architectural realities are in a forest of holm oaks and centuries-old oaks.
The aim of the short contribution is to clarify the moments of the “monument in time”, through the
historical-critical reading of the ancient building. The study was launched with a first phase of direct
analysis of the pre-existence, of the stylistic-constructive and figurative characters present and of the
constituent materials, also through specific laboratory investigations, in order to identify the different
construction phases, examining in detail the first additions and transformations to the original nucleus
and, subsequently, the first “restoration” interventions.
