The Church of Saint Augustine in Lanciano, founded around 1313 by the sculptor Francesco Petrini, is one of the most important Gothic structures in the city, particularly for its finely sculpted façade which echoes that of Santa Maria Maggiore. Originally an Augustinian convent, it was the first monastery within the city walls and features a 15th-century bell tower and cloister. The façade includes distinctive Gothic elements such as a Madonna with Child in the lunette, lions at the portal base, and a richly carved rose window. Over the centuries, the convent and church played a key role in the religious and civic life of Lanciano, also housing confraternities and important relics. In 1866, the convent was repurposed into a Carabinieri barracks, though the church continued its religious function.
The interior of the church was transformed in the 18th century into Baroque style with elaborate stuccoes by Gerolamo Rizza and Carlo Piazzola, creating a dramatic single-nave space with vaulted ceilings and a grand gilded high altar. The church contains valuable artworks, including paintings, sculptures, and reliquaries, many now preserved in the Diocesan Museum. Attached to the church is the octagonal Chapel of Saints Simon and Jude Thaddeus, which holds their relics since 1412. This chapel, restored in 1955, is richly decorated with stuccoes, frescoes, statues, and banners, making Sant’Agostino a living testimony of Lanciano’s spiritual, artistic, and architectural legacy.
- Address
Strada de’ Frentani, Lanciano, Italy - Web
None - Visiting Hours
Unknown - What to see
Gothic gate
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