Also known as the Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Martiri (Church of Saint Mary of the Martyrs), the Chiesa dei Minori Osservanti (Church of the Friars Minor of the Observance) is a small jewel located just outside the historic center of Petritoli. It was built in the late 16th century and was part of the Franciscan convent of the Friars Minor of the Observance, and later converted into a civil hospital.
Inside, the church features a Renaissance style enriched with Baroque elements. The octagonal ceiling coffer is decorated with splendid gilded rosettes, a precious example of the wooden art of the time.
The frescoes in the fifteen octagons depict scenes dedicated to the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, made with earth pigments mixed with egg yolk.
Among the most notable works: a 15th-century fresco above the auxiliary altar on the right depicting the “Madonna del Latte” (Madonna Lactans), much revered throughout the Aso Valley; an oil on canvas depicting the “Vergine col Bambino” (Madonna and Child), in the style of painter Lorenzo Lotto; and a valuable 18th-century organ by renowned Venetian organ builder Gaetano Callido, with silver alloy pipes.
