Anzio. Church of Saints Pio and Antonio

The church of Saints Pio and Antonio is located right in the square next to the port of Anzio.

It was commissioned by Pope Pius IX in 1847 dedicating it to the Saints Pio and Antonio.

The church was completed in 1856 and the Pope went several times to check the progress of the works.

The church has a neoclassical style and the facade consists of two levels and has an entrance portico in the shape of an ancient temple with four circular columns and a triangular tympanum.

The lower part of the façade is wider and is enriched by 4 elegant candle holders made using marble paste.

The upper narrower part has a large semicircular opening and ends with a tympanum that reminds one of the entrance portico.

The church is accessed inside with a staircase while the bell tower with the clock is located at the back of the church.

The design of the structure is by the architect Gaetano Moichini.

The interior has three naves that end with the high altar donated by Pope Pius IX.

He had it removed from St. Peter's in Rome as the Pope wanted an altarpiece representing St. Pius V receiving the news of the victory of the Holy Alliance in the Battle of Lepanto against the Turks in 1571.

The work was realized by Casimiro Brugnone De Rossi in 1856.

Among the other works that adorn the altar there is also a wooden crucifix from the 16th century of the Venetian school.

The whole interior of the church is richly decorated and has been restored after the bombardments of the Second World War.

The church has an ancient organ built in the nineteenth century by the Morettini company of Foligno and subsequently restored.