Church
Chiesa della SS. Annunziata annessa al Convento dei Carmelitani Scalzi
Description
The Ex Convento dei Carmelitani Scalzi in Urbino, located in a panoramic position in the north-west of the city, is an important example of 18th-century religious architecture. Founded in 1673, the convent was designed by architect Gian Battista Bartoli and completed in 1742. The church, dedicated to the Santissima Annunziata, was consecrated in 1757.
Over the centuries, the building has undergone several transformations: after the suppression of religious orders in the 19th century, the convent became a reformatory and later a correctional facility. In 1967, the building was restored and adapted to house the Accademia di Belle Arti di Urbino, one of the region's main artistic institutions.
The building follows a rectangular plan and retains a simple yet elegant interior. The church, with a single nave, is adorned with five altars and a recently restored polychrome wooden choir. The main façade, sober and linear, faces Largo Renato Bruscaglia, with Doric columns and a cornice separating the ground floor from the upper levels.
Next to the convent is the Parco della Resistenza, a green area that once was part of the convent's garden and later became an agricultural colony for young detainees.