San Giovanni Battista is a church located on Via Passeri #98 in central

Pesaro Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...

, region of

Marche Marche ( ; ), in English sometimes referred to as the Marches ( ) from the Italian name of the region (Le Marche), is one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. The region is located in the Central Italy, central area of the country, ...

, Italy.

History

The church was erected on the site of a former mausoleum constructed by

Alessandro Sforza Alessandro Sforza (21 October 1409 – 3 April 1473) was an Italian condottiero and lord of Pesaro, the first of the Pesaro line of the Sforza family. Biography He was born in Cotignola in 1409, an illegitimate son of the famous condottier ...

, and which was razed in 1536 by the Duke

Francesco Maria I Della Rovere Francesco Maria I House of della Rovere, della Rovere (25 March 1490 – 20 October 1538) was an Italian condottiero, who was Duke of Urbino from 1508 to 1516 and, after retaking the throne from Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino, Lorenzo I ...

. The church and an adjacent convent were commissioned in 1543 by the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

Minorites of Osservanza. The original plan was by

Girolamo Genga Girolamo Genga (c. 1476 – 11 July 1551) was an Italian painter and architect of the late Renaissance, Mannerist style. Life and career Genga was born in a region near Urbino. According mainly to Giorgio Vasari's biography, by age thirteen ...

, but on his death in 1551, work proceeded under his son Bartolomeo, who died 7 years later. Paucity of funds, meant construction on the church continued till formal consecration in 1656. The facade remains unfinished. The interiors underwent refurbishment in the 17th century, with the elimination of some of the lateral altars. The church housed tombs for many of the prominent families of Pesaro, including the Almerici, Antaldi, Baldassini, Gavardini, and Perticari. The suppression of the Augustinians in 1860 expelled the monks, and in 1867, the convent was ceded to the city which used it for barracks. In 1975, it was again ceded to the frati Minori. An inventory from 1864 lists the following artworks in the nave and flanking chapels:Guida di Pesaro
pp. 150–152. *''Nativity with Adoration of Shepherds'' by a follower of

Giulio Cesare Begni Giulio Cesare Begni (early 17th century) was an Italian painter active in the early-Baroque period, born in Pesaro, but also active in Fano, Cagli, Venice and Udine. He was a pupil of Antonio Cimatori (Visacci) in Urbino. His works included ''Sa ...

. *''Santissima Annunziata di Firenze'' (1544) by Giovanni Battista Clarici. *''Madonna and child with Saints Lucy, John the Baptist, and St Francis'' (19th century) by P. Atanasio of Rimini. *''Dead Christ with Angels'' and ''Head of John the Baptist'' attributed to Marco Zoppo, found in sacristy.

References

External links

* Roman Catholic churches in Pesaro 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches completed in 1656 Baroque architecture in Marche 1656 establishments in Italy {{Marche-RC-church-stub