In the 1920s of the 13th century, a number of friars from Assisi arrived in Parma. These friars settled in the “Pratum Magnum”, a vast meadow near the city where markets, fairs and tournaments were held. The name of the church of San Francesco del Prato and the road that runs along it are named after this place. At the end of the 1940s the construction of the church began, starting from the apse area which is therefore the oldest part: the apses were built thanks to the intervention of the Da Enzola, Meli Lupi and Rossi families. The side walls and the central nave were then built. The current façade was completed in 1398; the bell tower was built long afterwards, between 1506 and 1521.
St. Francis has the characteristics of the Gothic style and follows the Franciscan rules for the construction of churches: the facade with a broken tympanum, divided into three bands by pilasters, the center of the rose window made in 1461 by Alberto da Verona on which are still visible traces of color (red, ochre, green, blue). In ancient times the façade was crowned by four pinnacles, which have now disappeared (only the base of the right pinnacle remains). Inside, the church is divided into three naves and has a wooden trussed roof, with the exception of the apse area, where there are vaulted roofs (Franciscan rules imposed simple constructions: no decoration, no sculpted capitals, no paintings). The naves are divided by eight cylindrical columns supporting large pointed arches.
From 1810, with the Napoleonic requisitions, the church was confiscated, the Friars Minor were expelled, the structure used as a prison: the central nave became a laboratory and the aisles were mezzanine and used by prisoners and prison guards.
After decades, in the 70s, the church was entrusted again to the friars who began to eliminate the prison structures. In 2018, in view of “Parma 2020 – Italian Capital of Culture”, began the project “Liberiamo San Francesco del Prato”, a project that will bring back the church to be used again for liturgies and cultural events, after a careful restoration, carried out with a fundraiser from companies, citizens and tourists.
Photos taken by Areaitalia;
Francesca Bocchia;
Giuseppe Bigliardi;
Matteo Fornari.
43121 Parma
