A valuable baroque theater, the Oratorio Santa Cecilia was built in just three years to a design by Pietro Baglioni (1687-90), its plan in the form of a Greek cross, with a square central mass and four arms of equal length. Located in the historic center of Perugia, it is the only Baroque monument in the city, together with the adjacent Church of San Filippo Neri. It was the first building in Perugia specially created as a music hall, upon request of the Fathers of the Congregation of the Oratory.
Above the stage we can see ‘The Madonna and Child with Santa Cecilia’ by Carlo Lamparelli di Spello, dated 1688. A double cornice identifies two tiers of boxes. The Auditorium is surmounted by a large and bright dome. After decades of decay and neglect it was restored and reopened to the public in 2001. It is currently used for concerts and cultural events.
