History
1
Discover more
THE ORIGIN
The Church of Saint Anne is located approximately two kilometers from Collamato Castle, on a small hill that gets its name from the local saint.
In the surrounding countryside, there was a substantial settlement known as the Villa di Sant’Anna, which disappeared following a terrible plague that decimated its population in the second half of the 14th century.
The place names still known as Casarrini (“Casarum Ruinae”) indicating the ancient locality where the village stretched, Ospedale (place where a Benedictine women’s monastery probably stood under the name of St. Peter) and Cimitero (place about 400 meters away from the church where most of the population decimated by the plague had been buried).
The church, of very ancient origins, was attached to a Benedictine monastery to which it belonged, and traces of it are still visible in the remains of the surrounding rural buildings. It is possible to observe on the walls black stones, thus older, alternating with sparse sections of plaster and bricks indicating more recent repairs.
Discover more
THE FRESCOES
Inside the church, on the altar wall, one can admire frescoes from different periods. In the frescoes, there are three elements exalting the mother of the Virgin: the two lateral ones, created by the same artist, and a central depiction of Sant’Anna Metterza, with the Virgin and the Child Jesus, flanked by Saint Roch and Saint Sebastian.
In the left part of the fresco, Sant’Anna Metterza is depicted on a throne, while in the right part, Sant’Anna is portrayed with the Child Virgin holding the usual book (a theme that the artist Antonio da Fabriano had addressed in Gualdo Tadino with the iconography of Sant’Anna Metterza).
The frescoes were commissioned by Anna di Simone Vagni di Cerreto in 1481, as can be read under the left compartment. Its inscription, now partially legible, was fully recorded by the historian Romualdo Sassi and reads:
[Hoc opus] FIE[ri] FECIT [Anna] SIMONIS VAGNI DE CERRETO A[nno 1481].
The frescoes of Sant’Anna are also mentioned in the “Artistic Guide of Fabriano” by Professor Bruno Molaioli and in various art history publications. Studies are underway to determine their authorship, which, based on certain elements and the artistic language, might attribute the two lateral frescoes to the artist Antonio da Fabriano and the central depiction to the Master of Collamato.
2
3
Discover more
THE UNDERGROUND CAVE
Behind the altar, through a narrow tunnel that opened in the floor, descending about two meters, one could access a cave carved into the sandstone. Another tunnel connected the cave to the buildings behind. These two tunnels indicate that the church was connected to the probable adjoining convent.
Discover more
“Progetto PNRR [M1.C3 – INVESTIMENTO 2.2] finanziato dall’Unione Europea
RESTORATION
The earthquake of 1997 severely damaged the roof, which was later restored by surveyor Giancarlo Marinelli. In 2023, the severely compromised interior flooring of the church was redone, and the external walkways were redesigned to eliminate architectural barriers and allow full accessibility for visitors with motor and sensory disabilities.
The complex has also been equipped with disabledaccessible restrooms and software upgrades for innovative use with QR codes for access to multimedia files, as well as transcriptions of historical information and images of the frescoes in Braille.
“Progetto PNRR [M1.C3 – INVESTIMENTO 2.2] finanziato dall’Unione Europea
NextGenerationEU Titolo del progetto: CHIESA DI SANT’ANNA IN COLLAMATO
ID Domanda: 7446 CUP: B99F22019060006″
4
5
Discover more
THE FESTIVAL OF SAINT ANNE
The Catholic Church, under Pope Sixtus IV, set the date for the liturgical memory of Saint Anne on July 26. The Orthodox Church also celebrates the feast of Saint Anne on July 26, and Anne and her husband Joachim are venerated by the Coptic Church as well.
Saint Anne is invoked as the protector of mothers and expectant mothers who turn to her to obtain from God a safe delivery, a healthy child, and sufficient milk to nurture the child. She is the patroness of many professions associated with her role as a mother, including laundresses and embroiderers.
The devotion of the people from Collamato people to Saint Anne has always been very strong, seeking her protection in moments of great danger and always receiving the help they needed. Such century-old devotion has persisted and reached us today. Even today, on July 26th of each year, large groups of faithful gather at the hill of Saint Anne where the church stands, to pray and spend a relaxing day in carefree and wholesome joy amidst the soft green meadows, fields intersected by numerous rows of vines, and under the welcoming shade of trees. This invites them to enjoy genuine and appetizing snacks, in the quiet interrupted only by the gentle evening breeze, far from the hustle and bustle of the city. It is now customary for the diocesan Bishop to be present at the Mass dedicated to Saint Anne on July 26th.
Discover more
THE PROPERTY
The church, the buildings, and the adjacent lands, where an organic farm operates, were owned by the surveyor Giancarlo Marinelli, who passed away in 2013. He was succeeded by his daughter Gigliola, who has a strong desire and conviction to enhance and open this 13th-century masterpiece to the public, with the valuable contribution of the people from Collamato people who have always carefully and devotedly preserved the church of Saint Anne.
6