Church of Sant’Antonio – Deruta - Church of Sant’Antonio – Deruta - Media VallExperience

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Church of Sant’Antonio – Deruta

The Church of Sant'Antonio, situated near the Regional Ceramics Museum of Deruta, is a true treasure trove of art and faith, with frescoes painted by two talented Perugian painters - Bartolomeo Caporali and Giovanni Battista Caporali.

The history of the church

The date of construction of the church is difficult to determine, however from a last will dated to 1439 it can be deduced that the church had already been built and that a certain Antonio di Paolo Rubini da Casalina left the money for its renovation. The church had a certain importance in the town, as two important Perugian artists were invited to paint the interior walls - Bartolomeo Caporali and his son, Giovanni Battista, called Bitte.

A further testimony to the importance of the church in the past, was the decision to keep inside the religious banner of Niccolò di Liberatore called Alunno, now preserved in the Municipal Art Gallery of Deruta.

Deruta

Artistic testimony

Church fassades appear simple and sober, devoid of any decorative elements. However, its interior, like a rare pearl, contains a beautiful fresco by Bartolomeo Caporali - the Madonna della Misericordia between Saint Francis and Bernardino. The fresco depicts The Virgin with her mantle protects Deruta and its people - men on one side and women on the other. Saints Francis and Bernardino intercede for Marian protection over the city and the population. Below, a painter frescoed Deruta, easily recognizable from the main city monuments. On the vault, the Eternal Father appears between the evangelists.

On the back wall there is a large stucco altar with a fresco by Giovanni Battista Caporali, son of Bartolomeo, showing scenes from the life of St. Anthony the Abbot, and the figures of San Rocco and San Sebastiano. At the center of the altar is a glazed terracotta statue depicting Sant'Antonio Abate with almost illegible inscription on the base: "Renovato al tempo de Julio Priore e Salvatore suo... A.D.1553 a de 20 decembre".

Among the notable features of this church are a small 18th-century organ, a beautiful painted wood choir and an Etruscan cinerary urn transformed into a holy water font.