This tiny church, which was dependent upon the Observant Franciscan Convento della Santissima Annunziata outside Amelia, takes its name from a nearby medieval fountain. The spring that feeds this fountain has been used since at least Roman times, and some brick channelling that dates to this period has been excavated.
This was the site of an earlier chapel in which St Francis is believed to have preached in 1213. The alternative name for the present church is San Francesco delle Donne, which harks back to the tradition at St Francis founded a small community of female penitents here.
[Visits are apparently possible by calling 0744 982076.]
Frescoes (14th and 15th centuries)
The church contains some interesting frescoes, including a number that bear witness to popular devotion to the Madonna and to the plague saints, SS Roch and Sebastian:
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✴This fresco on the right wall, which is probably the oldest in the church, depicts SS Christopher, Roch and Sebastian.
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✴This fresco on the left wall shows a sick man praying to the Madonna and Child. The inscription reveals that he has an injured or diseased leg, and the presence of a coffin suggests that he fears for his life.
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✴This fresco (dated 1487) on the right wall depicts the Madonna and Child with SS Roch, Sebastian and Bernardino of Siena. The inscription names the name the donor as Ser Ugolino.
