Church of the Most Holy Annunciation, Sulmona

The Church of the Most Holy Annunciation overlooks Corso Ovidio, the main street of Sulmona; its founding date dates back to 1320 but no traces remain of the ancient structure, destroyed by the earthquakes of 1456 and 1706.

The facade, newly built by the Sulmona native Norberto Ciccio at the beginning of the 18th century, is structured in two orders and features two pairs of projecting paired columns that vertically divide the space into three parts; the broken curvilinear pediment and the connecting volutes complete the upper part of the facade.

The interior reconstruction was entrusted to the Bergamo architect Pietro Fantoni who created a dome with a lantern over the presbytery area. The plan is divided into three naves, with the central one vaulted barrel-style and the lateral ones topped by small domes; the decorative scheme was realized by the stucco artist Giovanni Battista Gianni, the carver Norberto Ciccio, and the painter Giovanbattista Gamba.

The church underwent two restoration interventions in the 20th century: in the 1960s the decorative elements were restored, and in the 1980s structural consolidation and repainting of the interior were carried out.