La Chiesa del Crocifisso – The Church of the Crucifix - Marta

Early last month I wrote about the Festa Day For San Biagio In Marta and included in the post were some photos of a statue of San Biagio outside the Church of The Crucifix on the corner of Piazza Umberto which has only recently reopened after extensive renovations.

I also took some photos of the church interior that same day which I am now sharing with a little background information

These are the same two photos I included previously of the Statue of San Biagio but larger showing more detail.

The following two photos of the church pre-restoration and information are taken from an online article I found here but the rest of the photos are my own.

La Chiesa del Crocifisso  - The Church of the Crucifix was originally built around the sixteenth century outside the city walls of the historic centre of Marta. Next to it on the left hand side there were in earlier times two other churches, San Biagio which was demolished in the late nineteenth century and SS Sacramento which was demolished in the twenties of the last century.

 

The church was closed in October 2002 as it was in danger of collapse. The renovation and expansion began on August 28, 2007 and was completed towards the end of last year. Festa Day was the first opportunity we have had to view the restoration of this delightful little church.  I am so glad we took the time to do so as it is beautiful in its simplicity.



I took this photograph in September last year the front door as seen above is still there but closed off inside the church.

 



The Church has an altar with only two stucco columns that support an entablature above which are placed the dove of the Holy Spirit surrounded by rays of light and two decorative elements shaped amphora. The bottom part of the altar was was rebuilt when some earlier restoration took place in 1963.

 

The Church has a single nave, in the vault of the nave there is a fresco, partly covered and partly damaged, depicting the Last Judgement, probably the residue of a wider cycle of paintings that experts date from around the end of the sixteenth century.  My photo is rather poor I intend to go back one day and try to get some better ones.

 

In the middle of the church on the left hand side there is a small chapel which can be seen in the external photos.  It was here I photographed this beautiful icon and the casket below.

 

This plaque is commemorating the family whose contributions I assume enabled, or at least were a very important help towards the restoration being completed last year.