Santa Maria delle Nevi
| Santa Maria delle Nevi | |
|---|---|
 Exterior view |
|
| Construction time: | 1471-1477 |
| Architect : | Bastiano di Corso or Lorenzo di Pietro |
| Style elements : | Renaissance |
| Client: | Giovanni Cinughi |
| Location: | 43 ° 19 '17.4 " N , 11 ° 19' 48" E |
| Address: | Via dei Montanini Siena Tuscany , Italy |
| Purpose: | Roman Catholic monastery church |
Santa Maria delle Nevi ( Our Lady of the Snow ) is a Catholic church on Via dei Montanini in Siena , Italy .
History and description
It was built between 1471/1472 and 1477 by Giovanni Cinughi, Bishop of Pienza , for his family. After his death, however, the financial means for the interior work were lacking.
It was originally part of the ancient monastery of Sant'Egidio, known as the “Capuchin Sisters”, which stretched from one side of Via Malavolti to the other and crossed it with an arch. In order to enable the construction of the new Piazza Umberto I, the convent was bought and demolished by the municipality at the beginning of the 20th century. Only the small Renaissance church of the Madonna delle Nevi was saved from the monastery thanks to Mayor Lisini , who as a historian and scholar strongly opposed the demolition of the church and considered it useless to destroy the small building and the works it contained.
The building has a classic travertine facade, with decorative elements ( tympanum , pilasters , Portal is decorated in sandstone and the coat of arms of the client marble).
The beautiful Renaissance architecture with a single nave and two yokes with ribbed vaults is Bastiano di Corso or Lorenzo di Pietro, known as Vecchietta , or another student of Francesco di Giorgio attributed. The building is illuminated through the round window of the facade and the two left side windows, while the two right windows were left unfinished, as was all the decoration of the side walls and vaults.
On the main altar is the great Madonna delle Nevi , a masterpiece signed and dated by Matteo di Giovanni (1477). It shows the Madonna enthroned with the child , flanked by Saints Peter and John the Evangelist in front of Saints Lawrence and Catherine of Siena . Behind them are numerous angels with shells containing the snow that fell on August 5, 358 in Rome on the spot where Pope Liberius was supposed to build the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore . The predella shows the story of the snowfall and the coat of arms of the Cinughi family.
The stucco on the altar pages St. Joseph and of St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi attributed to the Sienese sculptor Giuseppe Maria Mazzuoli (18th century).
literature
- Toscana. Guida d'Italia . In: Guida rossa . Touring Club Italiano, Milan 2003, ISBN 88-365-2767-1 .
Web links
- Luoghi della Fede (Places of Faith) ( it ) Regione Toscana.