In the village, the “Chiesa di San Francesco” (Church of St. Francis) -originally dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy – was built by the Lateran Chapter, owner of the entire hill between the historic center and the municipal cemetery.
In 1513, the municipality financed the expansion with the addition of the altar dedicated to St. Sebastian, while the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary enriched the church with furnishings and perhaps a primitive choir loft under the 15th-century wall painting of St. Mary of Mercy. In 1584, the church was donated to the Conventual Fathers, who built the convent in 1610. After various vicissitudes, the church was entrusted in 1670 to the Fathers of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis and – thanks to the bequest of Antonia Baroni, widow Preziotti, who died in 1688 – was enriched by gifts and the Franciscan presence until it became a public property during the Napoleonic period. Today, the property is owned by the parish committee, and a recent interior renovation has restored luster to the artistic and religious heritage preserved inside.
