Open for restoration: at the Oratorio di San Giovanni in Urbino for a rare sight on the frescoes by the Salimbeni bros

Built in 1365, the Oratorio di San Giovanni is one of the magnificent monuments that you come across when exploring the city of Urbino. Located at the end of a narrow path this little church, once a hospice for pilgrims and sick people, has been housing the brotherhood of San Giovanni Battista since 1395 (according to the first documentation). The interior walls have been decorated, for the most part, by the brothers Lorenzo and Jacopo Salimbeni from San Severino Marche, during the first decades of the XV century. The cycle of frescoes depicts The Stories of John the Baptist and an impressive Crucifixion, on the wall behind the altar.

 

At the moment, the city of Urbino is undergoing a major revival. Many places, including the Palazzo Ducale and the Oratorio have been entrusted to the hands of restorers. However, while a visit to the former could actually become an annoying experience, entering the Oratorio di San Giovanni turned out to be a rare surprise. In spite of the scaffolding, or perhaps thanks to it, the visitor is allowed to take a tour in the little church, thus enjoying the frescoes from unexpected angles. It won’t probably happen again any time soon to be able to get so close to such masterpieces and to observe how restorers actually work.

 

If you close your eyes and let your mind flow back a few centuries, you could still feel the vibes of Lorenzo and Jacopo. Colours and brushes everywhere, the smell of paint, all part of a setting that nowadays somehow recalls the time of the two brothers, whose work in the Oratory certainly marks their highest achievement. The composition of the frescos took place during one, if not the most flourishing period for the city of Urbino, right before Federico of Montefeltro seized it, turning this tiny state into the perfect example of Renaissance ideal city.

September 22, 2014