Travelcast Piceno - Audio & Video Guide per la Provincia di Ascoli Piceno

Piazza Ascanio Condivi is a square dominated by the Cathedral of Ripatransone,  which is actually comprised of three churches. Initially, the Church of San Benigno  was chosen as the primary church of Ripatransone. This idea was abandoned after only a few years for the new cathedral, which was begun in 1597.

The internal layout of the church is a three-nave Latin cross. The church presents new paintings created by the artist, Michelangelo Bedini, which replace those created in 1849 by the Roman painter and engraver, Giuseppe Capparoni. In the central nave, above and to the right, we can admire the painting of the Buon Pastore (Good Shepherd), and to the left of it, the Seminatore (Sower).    Dominating the interior is the  wooden pulpit, created in  1625 by Desiderio Confini of Patrignone. The dominant decorative motif is the coat of arms of Ripatransone, which is inserted within another coat of arms featuring a red background and a lion holding a golden fleur-de-lis in its front paw, crossing the hills of Ripatransone. Adjacent to the pulpit, the panels adorning it depict the five glorious mysteries of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The vicinity of the main altar and the ambulatory are decorated with works regarding San Gregorio Magno to the right, and the Nativity to the left. Of particular interest is another work by Bovini, the Papal See or Bishop’s Throne, which also depicts the heraldic symbol of  Ripatransone. In the apse, what stands out is the wooden canonical choir dating back to 1620, the plaster statue of  Gregorio Magno encircled by the Patron Saints of the city, and the  apse niche enriched by the works of  Bedini. In the right nave, we can distinguish four chapels. The first chapel, recently restored using works in marble, preserves a beautiful Crucifix in polychromatic wood  which, according to tradition, dates back to when Ripatransone was promoted to status of a city and the Diocesan capital. In the second chapel, dedicated to  Santa Maria Maddalena (Saint Mary Magdalene), we can observe the iron  grating, which dates to 1847, the wooden alta, and the altarpiece depicting the  Vergine con il Bambino (Virgin with Child), San Gregorio (Saint Gregory), and  Santa Maria Maddalena (Saint Mary Magdalene). The third chapel is dedicated to the  Madonna del Rosario di Pompei (Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii) while, in the last chapel, we can admire both the wooden alter of Agostilio Evangelisti, as well as that dominated by the figure  of  San Carlo Borromeo, to whom this chapel is dedicated. Of particular interest here is the presence of an adorned Lipsanoteca, or shrine.
Moving on to the left nave, the first chapel, the one closest to the altar, is the Cappella del SS. Sacramento (Chapel of the Holy Sacrament), enriched by the work of  Pasquale Gramolino of Fano, a “Sacred Heart of Jesus” with variations on the theme. The second and third chapels were erected in the seventeenth-century by Volantini Giovannini  and by the Marcelli family. A characteristic of the second chapel is a monumental ciborium (sacred vessel) in gilded wood, preserved here because this chapel  was the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament for many years, seat of the parish of the Duomo. Lastly, we can admire the baptismal font, once wooden, then replaced with a marble font about fifty years ago, in 1959/1960, in honor of the parish priest Filippo Consorti.
Inside the Duomo, to the left of the altar, you can reach the Santuario Diocesano della Madonna (Diocesan Sanctuary of the Madonna), also known as Madonna di San Giovanni (Madonna of Saint John), dedicated to the patron saint of the city since 1893.  The history of the  Madonna di San Giovanni is directly tied to one of the most important religious town feasts. The traditional  Cavallo di Fuoco (Horse of Fire), featuring a tin horse that is paraded around the town squares with fireworks shooting out from its body, is a pyrotechnic show, that can be experienced on the Sunday after Easter. When exiting the cathedral, and following a brief stretch on Via Ghisleri, we reach the Crypt of the Duomo, built in 1597
to hold the tombs of the Bishops.
Adjacent to Piazza Ascanio Condivi we find Piazza Matteotti. Several years ago, the Square caved in, revealing the remains of an ancient church connected to the underground tunnels and passages of the  Grotte di Santità (Grottos of Sanctity).
A characteristic building found in this square is the  Palazzo Massi Mauri, shaped like the keel of a ship, with a balcony  embellished by a wrought-iron railing, which  dates back to the year 1700, representing the family coat of arms.  To the right, one can admire a fifteenth-century house with decorated arches and, especially, a large wooden entablature, supported by brick piers, in the Venetian style.
We can also visit the small  shop of the  Museo dello Sculture in legno (Museum of Wooden Sculpture), by the artist Ines Cataldi, rich in wooden artifacts with many typical portraits and sculptures that represent various corners of the town.

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