Church of St. Anthony Abbot, known as ``of the Servites``, ornate decorations and elegant furnishings
The church was built on an old oratory, annexed to the hospital of the Brotherhood of the Black Flagellants from the second half of the 15th century on when the Fathers of the Order of the Servants of Mary settled in the city. All that remains of the oratory is a beautiful portal with earthenware tile decorations, visible externally on the south side of the church. The building underwent significant modification and expansion in the 16th century, but its current appearance, which has remained almost unaltered to the present day, dates from the early 18th century. In August 1797 the church and annexed monastery were permanently abandoned by the Servants of Mary, after measures to suppress religious orders were introduced by the French who arrived in Romagna in February the same year. The church was then bought and is still owned by the Municipality of Forlimpopoli. Inside it boasts ornate decorative embellishments and elegant, mainly late-Baroque furnishings. Worth noting are the altarpiece of the Annunciation (1533) by Marco Palmezzano, a student of Melozzo of Forlì, work by Livio Modigliani (the four doors of the organ, signed by the artist and dated 1576), the cycle of paintings dedicated to the Mysteries of the Rosary by Forlì-born artist Antonio Fanzaresi (1735) and frescoes by Paolo Bacchetti (decorating the Chapel of the Immaculate Heart, circa 1870). The church is an integral part of Casa Artusi cultural centre.
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(photo gallery of Gabriella Fabbri)
