Church of Saint Francis in Borgo Montenero, a religious building constructed when the rural village was founded during the reclamation of the Agro Pontino in the 1930s.
During the Fascist period many towns were built in the area of the Pontine Marshes, such as Sabaudia, Pontinia and Latina, along with many villages such as Hermada, Vodice and Montenero. In a harmonious Rationalist style, all the towns were given the facilities needed for the life of the population. After the school and the Fascist party house, the church was an essential element. In Borgo Montenero the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi was inaugurated at the end of the 1930s. The rectangular building is balanced outside by a large bell tower with three bells one above the other. It has a single very wide nave, with a delicate marble altar and ambo depicting the Lamb of God and the symbols of the Evangelists. The monstrance at the back of the apse is round, with a white and gold mosaic. On either side of the altar are statues of Saint Francis and the Virgin, while the painting in the background depicts Murillo’s Saint Francis, painted by the artist Rosati. Large stained-glass windows bring soft light into the church. To the right of the church is the parish house, with a lovely garden and a very busy oratory. In the square outside, in 1960, a statue of Our Lady Mary Rosa Mystica was placed above a small fountain.
