San Francesco

Built between 1278 and 1363 by the Ghibelline Umbertino Landi, the church of San Francesco is in Lombard Gothic style with a terracotta façade. The Friars Minor were commissioned to carry out the work and quickly built the church and adjoining monastery.Over the centuries, the church was enriched with works of art and the convent reached considerable dimensions. The most important historical event connected to the church was, in 1848, the proclamation, which took place here with a plebiscite, of the annexation of Piacenza to the Kingdom of Sardinia.The church preserves inside the tombs of illustrious men, paintings, sculptures and remains of frescoes from the 14th and 15th centuries. Note the sculpture placed in the lunette of the portal, with the Stigmata of San Francesco (around 1480). The dome of the chapel of the Immaculate Conception is frescoed by Giovanni Battista Trotti, known as “Il Malosso” (1600). Also worthy of note is the stucco sculpture group created by Reti in the 17th century and depicting the Deposition. Other artists present are Bernardo Castello, Giuseppe Nuvolone and Benedetto Marini.In front of the church of San Francesco, the so-called “Dado” develops in height, the building that incorporates the architectural structures of the ancient medieval Torrazzo communal tower.
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