Chiesa di S. Giovanni Battista e del Gonfalone o dei Disciplinati di S. Caterina

The church of S. Giovanni Battista e del Gonfalone, also known as that of the Disciplinati di S. Caterina, presents an exterior of deliberate, almost severe simplicity. Its unplastered brick façade is divided into two orders by pilasters and a plain trabeation, capped by a semicircular pediment flanked by two pennacchi. A lunette portal, framed by pilasters, aligns with a large shaped window above. This schematic restraint, however, is a ruse.

Inside, the single nave with a polygonal apse reveals a remarkably complex roof system. The junction between apse and choir is handled by a short, groined calotte. The ample choir is covered by two lunette vaults, separated by a double ribbing from the presbytery’s sail vault. The central space, into which two shallow, flat-ended semi-chapels are inserted, is topped by another sail vault, from which springs an octagonal cupolino. The building is a lesson in how a plain shell can conceal an intricate, vaulted interior.

Description via source. Coordinates and heritage data from the Atika atlas.