Church of St Francesco
The Church of St. Francis is located within the historical center of Costacciaro in corso Mazzini. Built in the first half of the thirteenth century, it underwent heavy restoration works during the eighteenth century. Its Gothic-Romanesque facade is made of limestone from Mt. Cucco, featuring a rose window and slender columns. The Baroque church, originally comprising only a single nave, dedicated to St. Peter and officiated by the Benedictine monks of the nearby “Abbey of Insula Filiorum Manfredi” (twelfth century), was subsequently enlarged in the eighteenth century with the addition of two lateral naves, where you can admire some frescoes ascribed to Matteo da Gualdo and representing scenes from the passion of Jesus as well as images of the Holy Virgin and other Saints. Finally, other restoration works brought to light some fragments of frescoes that were originally located on the wall of the old chapel that has been demolished, dedicated to Blessed Thomas, the town patron. The church houses the body of the Blessed, resting in a beautiful urn of gilded wood. First placed underneath the main altar, this fine funerary ark has recently been relocated in a new functional chapel, specifically built to facilitate the flow of pilgrims and devotees worshipping the patron. The polygonal apse, facing east, is lit through stained glass windows depicting St. Francis and Blessed Thomas.