de Amicis Sarcophagus

Tomb of Venafro's first historiographer, the highly educated jurist Giovanni de Amicis

The stone slab is preserved, walled into the sacristy of the church of San Francesco, in Venafro. It must have been the front of the tomb of the Venafro jurist Giovanni de Amicis, who became famous in the sixteenth century as a treatise writer and is considered the first historiographer of Venafro, since he illustrated, in his work, the origins and prerogatives of the city. De Amicis had donated some land to the church, obtaining the privilege of building a chapel inside. Subsequently, according to the prescriptions of the Council of Trent, the front with the inscription and the lid of the tomb, decorated with a bas-relief of the deceased, were separated and placed outside. The front plaque was then placed in the sacristy. The epigraph commemorating the virtues of John is engraved on it, inserted in a fake cartouche held at the sides by two twin shields in relief, with the de Amicis coat of arms.