Orciano di Pesaro

City of Orciano di Pesaro

Piazzale della Ripa, 1-0721 97424

Where today is located Orciano, there was a very extensive forest in the middle of which stood a small temple dedicated to the pagan god Janus who predicted the future. In that church went all the surrounding people, to implore the oracle, that is the answer they thought they receive from God himself to their demands and, at the same time, they placed in a vase shaped like a pitcher on the altar their offers in coins. Therefore there is to believe that the name derives from the urn of Janus Orciano, from the Latin “Urceanus”. From the seventh to the twelfth century Orciano, like many others in the countryside of Fano, he was swept up in the terrible events of war. After ups and downs in 1339 Galeotto Malatesta, the lordship of Rimini, came into possession of the lands of Orciano and weighed by high taxes its inhabitants who, exasperated, rebelled. Once suppressed the wrath of Orcianesi, Jailbird Malatesta to earn the goodwill of the people bestowed to it gifts, and honors for his care was built in 1348 the port called “below” and raised the Tower, and superb high, dominates the inner city. A period of calm Orciano lived it with Giovanni della Rovere who became lord of Orciano also brought improvements to the town. With the demise of the dynasty Rovere, the lands of the Duchy of Urbino passed to be part of the Papal States.

Santa Maria Novella erected in 1492 and designed dell’archittetto Florentine Baccio Pontelli. The entrance is framed and embellished with a beautiful stone portal carved in bas-relief, which popular tradition attributed to Raphael of Urbino.

Malatesta tower built by Galeotto Malatesta in 1348. Brought in new shape by the Florentine Baccio Pontelli, is one with the beautiful church of Santa Maria Novella.

In Orciano they are jealously guarded two valuable works of art: the first is a painting by Morganti, 1500, representing the mystical marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria. The second is a wooden statue of the Venetian school depicting the Dead Christ. On the entrance wall of the bell tower, you can see a coat of arms “in quartered” sandstone. E ‘attributed to the Duke of Urbino Francesco Maria I della Rovere, prefect appointed by the Pope of Rome.