Where is the church of Santa Maria in Araceli located?

The Church of Santa Maria in Araceli is a Baroque-style church of monastic origin, attributed to the Modena-born architect Guarino Guarini. Built in the second half of the 17th century, it is located in the neighborhood of the same name in Vicenza, which also includes the parish church of Araceli in Cristo Re and the church of Santa Lucia.

The first records of a small church dedicated to "Santa Maria" date back to 1214. Near this church, in 1244, a group of nuns from the community of Sancta Maria Mater Domini in Longare—on which Bishop Manfredo dei Pii had imposed the Rule of San Damiano—purchased land and built a modest monastery.

This monastery was called Sancta Maria ad Cellam, which was later changed to "Alla cella," "Aracella," and finally Araceli, the current name of the parish and neighborhood in Vicenza.

In 1277, the monastery passed to the Poor Clare nuns of San Francesco, known as the "Celestine," and by the early 14th century it was flourishing and well-managed, enriched by the bishops of the time with tithes and mills. Part of the property also came from confiscations carried out by the local Inquisition, while others had been bequeathed by nobles from Marano and Lanzè. This wealth also led, in the 14th century, to the monastery's involvement in interminable legal proceedings to defend its assets.