| In 1675 according to the wish of the
Cesarini the Church of Santa Maria was completely restructured,
deleting its medieval characteristics. In 1240 some modifications
had already been made to the old building in Byzantine style.
This was a church consisting of a nave and two aisles, with a
semicircular apse whose marble floor come from the pagans monuments
in the surroundings. In 1594 the gothic window were widened to
increase the lightning, thus deleting its typical characteristics.
In 1675 some works were made by following the design of the
architect Carlo Fontana, Bernini’s pupil, who in Lanuvio
had already built the fountain ‘dello scoglio’.
The façade shows a single style divided longitudinally
in three parts: in the central and the highest one, the portal
is flanked by pilaster strips with Doric capitals and surmounted
by a semicircular window. During this period was also built
the new belfry on design of Tomasso Mattei, pupil of Fontana.
In the interior there are works of great artistic value among
which: the medieval painting on wood representing the Saviour;
the paintings ‘Il Calvario’ of Gian Battista Gaulli
(1639-1709) said ‘Il Baciccio’.
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