St Francis’s Church
Church, Piran
Built in 1318 at the invitation of Mayor Manolessa, the Church of St. Francis was originally designed in the Gothic style common to early Franciscan buildings. Over the centuries, it underwent major Baroque renovations, and now features a Neoclassical façade (1887, by Giovanni Righetti). Inside, visitors will find a 1787 high altar with a canopy (Zarotti workshop, 1904), and masterpieces like the Madonna with Child and Saints by Carletto Caliari, plus paintings by Celesti, Sartori, and Lazzarini.
A highlight is the Renaissance chapel from 1502, originally housing Vittore Carpaccio’s precious painting (now in Padua). The church includes five side altars, a richly painted ceiling, 16th-century organs, and 32 family tombs, among them the Tartini family crypt, marked in 1992. The bell tower, raised in 1715, completes this exceptional architectural and spiritual landmark of Piran.
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