The Parish Church of SS. Apostoli Pietro e Paolo
This was the center of life of the first nucleus of the village of Monteleone di Orvieto; there were front and side porches, of which traces are still visible on the north wal. Next to the wall was the cemetery. This was the center of life of the first nucleus of the village of Monteleone di Orvieto; there were front and side porches, of which traces are still visible on the north wal. Next to the wall was the cemetery.
This was the center of life of the first nucleus of the village of Monteleone di Orvieto; there were front and side porches, of which traces are still visible on the north wal. Next to the wall was the cemetery. Originally the church had a single nave with four chapels; behind the main altar was a choir. Over the centuries the church has undergone successive extensions and various transformations until reaching the current structure; in particular between 1815 and 1821 the brick facade and bell tower were built. Local furnaces supplied the building materials.
In the bell tower hang four bells: the largest, to the north, has a beautiful harmonious stamp and a majestic tone: is the "Campanone". The side chapels have been eliminated and the church has three naves today. The altarpiece is work by the school of Pietro Vannucci, known as Perugino (Città della Pieve Fontignano 1445- 1523), the famous master of Umbrian Renaissance painting. The panel shows the Madonna with Child, flanked by the Apostles Pietro e Paolo, recognizable by their attributes: the keys, the sword and the book; in the lunette shows Jeus rising from the tomb with angels at the sides. Guardabassi (1872) attributes the work to Pietro Vannucci; Gnoli (1923) instead proposed the name of Giacomo di Guglielmo from Città della Pieve, who collaborated in all the works Perugino carried out in his hometown after 1510. In place of the old choir is the apse with a crypt below which houses the body of St. Teodoro Martyr. The crypt was decorated during the thirties by prof. Guglielmo Ascanio. During the 50s the church acquired its present appearance: it was raised, large windows were opened at the top to provide abundant light and the interior was entirely decorated. The current flooring was made in the eighties. The altar dedicated to the Annunciation is placed to the left of the main altar, while to the right there is the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, commissioned by the Community to celebrate the longawaited end of the Second World War. [Source: www.comune.monteleone.tr.it]