Farneta Abbey

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Sight from the west

The former Abbey of Farneta (Latin Abbatia Farnetensis ; Italian Abbazia di Farneta ) was a Benedictine monastery in Tuscany near the city of Cortona . It is dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta .

location

The abbey is located in the southwestern municipality about 10 km from Cortona on the road from Cortona to Foiano della Chiana in the hills of the Colline del Chiucio in the Val di Chiana valley . It belongs to the parish of Montecchio in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arezzo-Cortona- Sansepolcro .

history

The three apses on the east side

The abbey was a monastery of the Benedictine founded in the 9th or 10th century. The oldest surviving document is a Privilegio from Rome to Oddone abate di Farneta from 1014.

In the 13th century the abbey ruled large parts of the Val di Chiana. In the 16th century they took over Olivetan monks from the abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore , after which the decline began. In 1780 the priests of the diocese of Cortona took over the monastery and in 1799 it was abandoned.

crypt

The crypt dates from the 9th or 10th century. It was rediscovered and excavated in 1940 after being buried for centuries. It has three apses with three cloverleaf-like niches on each side and four in the middle. The columns in it are spolia and come from various Roman buildings in the area, which explains the different shapes and materials of the capitals . One of the columns made of pink granite has been proven to come from Aswan . The striking fluted ionic column is made of travertine .

Only the upper part of the pillars can be seen. They continue into the earth to give the crypt greater stability. The current clay slab floor was laid out arbitrarily. It does not correspond to the original ground level, of which no traces have been preserved.

The “Viale delle absidi” leads around the apses. It was created on the occasion of the excavation and restoration of the crypt. In addition, it should prevent moisture from penetrating the masonry.

  • Pillars in the crypt

  • fluted column

  • View across the crypt

  • Capital on the red granite column

  • red granite column

church

At the end of the 18th century the east-facing church was shortened by 14 meters and at the beginning of the 19th century the bell tower was demolished. A restoration of the interior followed from 1937.

The sandstone holy water font dates from the 5th or 6th century, the hexagonal font from 1712. The stained glass window in the middle shows the Archangel Michael and was made in 1943 by the Armando Bruschi company from Florence in honor of a pilot who died in the war in Tunisia manufactured.

Three frescoes can be seen in the right transept . The largest shows Madonna of Loreto with St. Sebastian and the plague saint Rochus . The second picture shows Santa Lucia , the third Peter, of whom, however, practically nothing can be seen.

The large standing figure of Christ is made of wood and dates from the 16th century.

The small museum Centro di Interpretazione delle Raccolte Don Sante Felici has existed since 2006 .

  • Look at the choir

  • entrance

  • Frescoes

  • wooden figure of Christ

literature

  • Cortona. Città d'Arte. Arti Tipografiche Toscane, Cortona
  • Don Sante Felici: Abate-parroco di Farneta: Brief explanation of the visit to the Abbazia di Farneta . Translated by Gerarda Steenbock. Farneta 1975
  • Emanuele Repetti: Badia di Farneta in Val di Chiana. In: Dizionario Geografico Fisico Storico della Toscana (1833–1846), online edition of the University of Siena (pdf, ital.)
  • Imolo Fiordi: Abbazia S. Maria Assunta. Guida rapida per la visita (Italian). Farneta, 2015

Web links

Commons : Farneta Abbey  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Chiese Italiane on the Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Farneta ( Memento from February 18, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on February 17, 2015 (Italian)
  2. ↑ abbaziafarneta.it , accessed on February 17, 2015 (Italian)
  3. ↑ Emanuele Repetti: BADIA DI FARNETA in Val di Chiana. In: Dizionario Geografico Fisico Storico della Toscana
  4. ↑ Information board on site
  5. ↑ Cortona. Città d'Arte.
  6. ↑ Imolo Fiordi: Abbazia S. Maria Assunta. Guida rapida per la visita (Italian). Farneta, 2015
  7. ↑ cortonaweb on the Centro di Interpretazione delle Raccolte Don Sante Felici , accessed on February 17, 2015 (Italian)

Coordinates: 43 ° 13 ′ 34.1 ″  N , 11 ° 52 ′ 15.1 ″  E