BASILICA SAN SALVATORE

Unfortunately, the Basilica of San Salvatore has been closed since the 2016 earthquake in the region that affected several Umbrian towns including Spoleto, but it is still possible to admire it from the outside... Outside the walls of Spoleto, at the top of the Sant'Angelo hill, this basilica of early Christian origin (4th-5th centuries) was partly reworked by the Lombards in the following centuries, but has kept intact all its expressive strength. Built by monks from the East with the Doric and Corinthian columns of Roman temples, it was one of the first Christian churches in Italy. The church of San Salvatore is a perfect example of the gradual transition from Roman antiquity to early Christian art.

Its two-storey façade, articulated on pilasters, is pierced by three doorways carved with classical motifs and corresponding to the three interior naves. The main nave ends in a circular apse. A few surviving fragments of the splendid frescoes decorate its walls. At the top, one can observe a Virgin and Child, a fragmentary fresco of the 13th century, and next to it a crucifixion of the 15th century. This basilica, which looks like a Roman temple, whose architecture combines both classicism and oriental influences, has been a Unesco heritage site since 2011. The basilica is the result of various restorations carried out during the 20th century. It is possible to go down to the municipal cemetery to visit it.