Founded according to Franciscan tradition in 1225 during the lifetime of Saint Francis of Assisi, the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie stands on Corso Vittoria Colonna in Ischia Porto. Created by survivors of a plague who invited the Friars Minor to the island, the original site was completely buried in 1301 by a volcanic lava flow from the Fiaiano area. Rebuilt through local devotion and entrusted to the Conventual Franciscans, the church was transformed into its present Baroque design following renovations led by Brother Garofalo between 1740 and 1773.
What to see
The exterior features a semicircular double staircase leading into a small narthex. Framed by two Corinthian pilasters, the facade displays a deep central arch flanked by two serliana-style windows below, with a quadrangular window set above. Inside, piers connected by wide arches divide the space into three naves under a barrel-vaulted ceiling, anchored by a small dome at the transept crossing. The presbytery centers on a 1740 polychrome marble high altar topped by an altarpiece depicting the Virgin and Child crowned by putti with Saint Clare and Saint Francis, attributed to Andrea Vaccaro or his studio. The right wall of the presbytery displays Alfonso Di Spigna's canvas of the Ecstasy of Saint Joseph of Cupertino. The church houses notable relics: the body of the deacon Saint Exuperantius, martyred in Spoleto in 303 and moved here by the Poor Clares in 1810, as well as the remains of Saint John Joseph of the Cross, transferred to this site on September 30, 2003.
Visiting
Dedicated to its patron saint, Saint Peter, and associated with the adjacent Convent of Sant'Antonio, the church stands along Ischia Porto's central thoroughfare. Visitors can tour the nave and presbytery to view the 18th-century marble altars, paintings, and sacred relics preserved inside.
Our editors' tip
Look closely at the right wall of the presbytery to examine Alfonso Di Spigna's 18th-century painting depicting the Ecstasy of Saint Joseph of Cupertino alongside the main polychrome altar.