San Salvatore, Spoleto
Apse of San Salvatore. Photo © Bill Thayer.
View of the old Corinthian columns and the nave. Photo under GFDL.
Unlike most other churches in Spoleto, San Salvatore isn't Romanesque - it's Roman! Built in the 4th century by Christian monks after the pattern of pagan temples, it is one of the oldest churches in all of Italy. Its original character remains remarkably well-preserved.
The monks who built San Salvatore are known to have been from the Eastern Mediterranean, and the simple exterior shows Oriental influences and the remains of what must once have been spectacularly carved doorways.
The gloomy, dusty interior incorporates scavenged materials taken from Roman temples, including Corinthian columns and a presbytery fitted together in a complicated late-classical architectural fantasy. The walls are bare but for patches of frescoes dating from the 13th to 18th centuries.
Quick Facts
| Name: | San Salvatore |
| Date: | late 4th century or early 5th century |
| Architecture: | Roman; early Christian |
| Location: | East side of the SS3, a 15-minute hike northeast of Piazza Garibaldi, Spoleto, Umbria, Italy |
| Phone: | 0743-49-606 |
| Hours: | Daily 7am to 5pm (until 7pm May-Aug) |
| Cost: | Free |
Location Map
Below is a location map and aerial view of San Salvatore. Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. For a larger view, see our Spoleto Map or get our free Google Earth download.
