Collegiata di San Gimignano

Collegiata di San Gimignano
View of the Collegiata.

The Collegiata is the main church of San Gimignano, Tuscany, central Italy, situated in the Piazza del Duomo at the town's heart. It was once the Duomo (cathedral), but since San Gimignano no longer has a bishop it has reverted to the status of a collegiate church.

The first church on the site was begun in the 10th century. The present building was begun in the early 12th century and was consecrated by Pope Eugene III in 1148. It was altered and enlarged by Giuliano da Maiano between 1466 and 1468. The façade dates from 1239 and is remarkably plain.

The Romanesque interior is famous for its lavish frescoes, which almost entirely cover the walls. The arcades are of black and white striped marble. In the centre is a large fresco of St Sebastian by Benozzo Gozzoli (1465), commissioned after the plague had hit the town in 1464. A fresco cycle by Taddeo di Bartolo depicts the Last Judgement in gruesome detail. There are also cycles of the Old Testament by Bartolo di Fredi (1356–1367) and the New Testament, traditionally attributed to Barna da Siena (who supposedly died in a fall from the scaffolding while painting them), but possibly by Lippo Memmi (begun in 1333).

The two main chapels are the Cappella di San Gimignano, with an altar by Benedetto da Maiano, and the Cappella di Santa Fina, designed by Giuliano da Maiano, with the sculpture by his brother Benedetto. Domenico Ghirlandaio painted the frescoes in the latter chapel. St Fina was born in San Gimignano in 1238, contracted an incurable disease when she was ten and spent the five years until her death lying on a board to increase her suffering before God. On her death the board was covered in flowers. The house where she supposedly lived and died still stands in the town.

Coordinates: 43°28′04.05″N 11°02′33.98″E / 43.4677917°N 11.0427722°E / 43.4677917; 11.0427722


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • San Gimignano — San Gimignano …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • San Gimignano —   [ dʒimi ɲaːno], Stadt in der Toskana, Provinz Siena, Italien, 332 m über dem Meeresspiegel, 7 100 Einwohner; Bibliothek; Fremdenverkehr.   Stadtbild:   Die Stadt zeigt eine von Geschlechtertürmen bestimmte Silhouette: Torre Chigi (1280); …   Universal-Lexikon

  • San Gimignano — (spr. dschiminjāno), Stadt in der ital. Provinz und dem Kreise Siena, 332 m ü. M., hat alte Mauern, 13 gotische Türme, ehemalige Adelspaläste (einst über 50), einen Dom (Collegiata, aus dem 13. Jahrh., im 15. Jahrh. umgebaut), mit berühmten… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Collégiale de San Gimignano — La façade de la collégiale de San Gimignano Présentation Nom local Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta Culte Catholicisme …   Wikipédia en Français

  • San Gimignano — Infobox CityIT img coa = San Gimignano Stemma.png official name = Comune di San Gimignano region = Tuscany province = Siena (SI) elevation m = 324 area total km2 = 138 population as of = December 31, 2005 population total = 7105 name=San… …   Wikipedia

  • San Gimignano — ▪ Italy       town, west central Toscana (Tuscany) regione (region), central Italy. It lies about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Siena. Originally called “City of Silva,” it later took its name from the Bishop of Modena (d. 397), who liberated the …   Universalium

  • Sant'Agostino, San Gimignano — The chiesa di Sant Agostino (Church of St Augustine) is the second largest church in San Gimignano, Italy, after the Collegiata. It is owned by the Augustinians.Sant Agostino is an imposing 13th century building. The interior is a large hall… …   Wikipedia

  • San Quirico d'Orcia — San Quirico d’Orcia …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • San Quirico d’Orcia — San Quirico d’Orcia …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • San Casciano dei Bagni — San Casciano dei Bagni …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”