Set among other buildings in Piazza XX Settembre, the church of San Silvestro, also known as the Church of the Madonna della Piazza, is one of the oldest churches in Fano, but inside, an evocative and original Via crucis of recent times, metaphorically tells the sacrifice of humanity humiliated by wars.
The church of San Silvestro also known as Madonna di Piazza, due to the painting of the same name inside, is located in the main square of the city. Dating back to the 12th century, it is one of the oldest churches in the city of Fano. Although from similar eras, it is possible to identify two different registers starting from the external face. The lower part, in fact, dates back to 1565, while the upper part was built in 1606, when it was decided to raise the church. Unfortunately, this last part and its elevation are no longer visible due to the bombings by the Germans in 1944. The facade was then subjected to a recent restoration in 1992. Due to the damage reported not only to the external facade, but also the bell tower and the interior were completely restored, modifying the original structure. Inside today the church has walls painted in tempera in 1953 by Augusto Ranocchi, the Via Crucis. Created in the years following the Second World War, the original and unpublished Via Crucis tells, through the sacrifice of Christ, the sacrifice of all humanity humiliated by wars.
