Montisi
Encyclopedia
Montisi is a frazione
of the comune
of San Giovanni d'Asso
. It's situated in the Province of Siena
, in the Southern Tuscany
, near Pienza
and Montalcino
. The hill on which is Montisi in on the boundary between the Val d'Orcia and the Crete Senesi
.
on the site of an ancient Etruscan necropolis
. In 1291, the Lord of Montisi Simon Cacciaconti degli Scialenga recaptured the village, destroying most homes and robbing all the farms. But when he died in 1295, left most of his possessions to the Spedale di Santa Maria della Scala, who built a grange.
At the end of the 14th century, Montisi became an independent comune and so remained until 1777, when it became at the first a frazione
of Trequanda
, and, after various vicissitudes due to the water supply, of San Giovanni d'Asso
.
The Grange of Santa Maria della Scala is the most important monument in Montisi. It was built by the Spedale in 14th century and, when it sold the Grange, the farm was bought by Jacopo Mannucci Benincasa, Secretary of the Grand Duke
of Tuscany Peter Leopold. On 30 June 1944, retreating German troops blew up the tower. Currently, the Grange is a private home and a farmhouse.
The building is built around two main courtyards, separate from what was once an open loggia. In the southern, there is a small 19th century theater, the result of a radical restoration work in the early 21st century. Now the theater is used for shows and comedies.
The Pieve of the Santissima Annunziata is the parish church of Montisi. It was built with the contemporary church of Santo Stefano in Cennano, in the nearby village of Castelmuzio, in the thirteenth century in Romanesque style, but it has undergone over the centuries various restorations and alterations. In the eighteenth century the church was restored in Baroque style by the Bishop of Pienza
Septimius Cinughi and was re-dedicated - as a plaque to the left of the entrance. The last major intervention began in mid-twentieth century, when the parson Elio Benvenuti to the church expanded by building a new apse and the side chapel. The Romanesque facade still retains the look with two windows on the sides of the portal and the masonry blocks of tuff. The interior, however, is in Renaissance style and the nave is divided into four bays by three sets of three arches supported by marble columns. The church has many works of art such as the altar piece "Madonna enthroned with Saints Paul, James, Peter and Louis" by Neroccio di Bartolomeo de' Landi
, and the "Crucifixion" painted in the mid-fourteenth century .
The church of Saints Flora and Lucilla, also called "la Cura" because at one time ruled by a curate, is the second most important church in the village. It was the first church in the village to be built in the Middle Ages and has been completely restored in Baroque style in 1732 at the behest of the Bishop of Pienza
Septimius Cinughi. The church, then home to several fraternities, was enlarged in the mid-nineteenth century thanks to funding family Mannucci Benincasa: were made in the transept, the new apse
, the main altar
, the sacristy and the bell tower. It was also donated the pipe organ located on the cantoria, not currently accessible and free of much of the material sound technician. The interior has a nave with four altars along the walls and transept formed by the chapels dedicated at the Sacred Heart
(right chapel) and at Our Lady of Lourdes
(left chapel). In the chancel is the altar, decorated with neo-Gothic paintings and large crucifix donated in 1944. Behind it, in the apse, there is a French harmonium. The church was left abandoned for about twenty years and recently reopened; now itis used every year for master classes in harpsichord
by the Piccola Accademia di Montisi.
The Oratory of Saint Anthony of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament, also called the "Company" under the Brotherhood will meet here today, was built in the fifteenth century and restored in Baroque style in 1616 and 1773. The prospectus of the small church is the simple façade with a portal and rose window
. The interior, in Baroque style, has a single nave consists of three bays covered by vault. The space reserved for members of the brotherhood has benches along the side walls and is bordered by a simple balustrade painted wood. The altar is located against the back wall and houses the painting by Giovanni di Giovanni "Last Supper
" and, under the table, processional statue of the "Dead Christ". The fifteenth-century crypt, the sacristy and the meeting room are used as a Museum of Sacred Art, with furnishings from the oratory and the church of Saints Flora and Lucilla, and objects painted processional and stretchers. In the crypt
, located beneath the nave of the church, there is a medieval fresco depicting the uncertain attribution "Jesus Crucified". In the meeting room, which is above the sacristy, are preserved ancient missals, the processional statue of "Our Lady of Seven Sorrows" and a banner painted with the symbol of brotherhood.
The Mannucci Benincasa Palace is located in the Piazza Contrada, on Via Umberto I. It was built by the family Mannucci Benincasa in the eighteenth century as his palace and in the manner of a tower house. It was later expanded in the nineteenth century: the porch in blocks of tuff, which was on the left, was incorporated in the building and was also expanded from the part that faced the country with the construction of the garden
. The facade on Via Umberto I is characterized by the great portal in solid wood doors with wrought iron frame with carved leaves and marble ashlar. The lobby of the building, long and low, is covered by a barrel vault with frescoes lowered monochrome. In the stairwell, located down the hall and characterized by circular ramp, there is a family crest Mannucci Benincasa glazed and painted earthenware. On the occasion of the Giostra di Simone and the Festa dell'Olio Novo, held in the hall of exhibitions of local handicrafts.
Along the slope that connects via Umberto I, the town's main street, with the Castello's Contrada, there are two symbolic monuments of the country: the Civic Tower and the "Colonna". The Civic Tower was built in the nineteenth century and was renovated in winter 2007. The building, visible from both the country and from dontorni for his height, is partly covered with cream-colored plaster, even in part with the stone walls (especially the corners). The tower is characterized by two clock dials with Roman numerals and by the metal structure, located on the top, that holds the bell that rings every half hour. The Colonna, however, despite its name, is a small obelisk made of four overlapping blocks of stone. It was donated as a vow to the Madonna in the second half of the nineteenth century; in fact, within a small niche closed grate, there is a sacred effigy of Mary. Despite being very close to each other, the two monuments belong to two different districts: the Colonna is in Piazza's Contrada but the Civic Tower is in Castello's Contrada.
and a carousel horseback in which you must thread the campanella, a ring placed on the shoulder of the Buratto, a dummy which turns on itself. The festival ends with a song of thanksgiving in the sanctuary
of Our Lady of the Snows.
In addition, during the year, are held in Montisi three other folk events:
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
of the comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of San Giovanni d'Asso
San Giovanni d'Asso
San Giovanni d'Asso is a comune in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 80 km southeast of Florence and about 30 km southeast of Siena in the area known as the Crete Senesi....
. It's situated in the Province of Siena
Province of Siena
The Province of Siena is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Siena.It has an area of 3,821 km² , and a total population of 252,288 . There are 36 comuni in the province...
, in the Southern Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, near Pienza
Pienza
Pienza, a town and comune in the province of Siena, in the Val d'Orcia in Tuscany , between the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino, is the "touchstone of Renaissance urbanism."...
and Montalcino
Montalcino
Montalcino is a hilltown and comune in Tuscany, Italy. It is famous for its Brunello di Montalcino wine.The town is located to the west of Pienza, close to the Crete Senesi in Val d'Orcia. It is 42 km from Siena, 110 km from Florence and 150 km from Pisa...
. The hill on which is Montisi in on the boundary between the Val d'Orcia and the Crete Senesi
Crete Senesi
The Crete Senesi refers to an area of the Italian region of Tuscany to the south of Siena. It consists of a range of hills and woods among villages and includes the comuni ofAsciano,Buonconvento,Monteroni d'Arbia,Rapolano Terme and...
.
History
Montisi has ancient roots: in fact it arose in the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
on the site of an ancient Etruscan necropolis
Necropolis
A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
. In 1291, the Lord of Montisi Simon Cacciaconti degli Scialenga recaptured the village, destroying most homes and robbing all the farms. But when he died in 1295, left most of his possessions to the Spedale di Santa Maria della Scala, who built a grange.
At the end of the 14th century, Montisi became an independent comune and so remained until 1777, when it became at the first a frazione
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
of Trequanda
Trequanda
Trequanda is a comune in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 70 km southeast of Florence and about 30 km southeast of Siena....
, and, after various vicissitudes due to the water supply, of San Giovanni d'Asso
San Giovanni d'Asso
San Giovanni d'Asso is a comune in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 80 km southeast of Florence and about 30 km southeast of Siena in the area known as the Crete Senesi....
.
The contrade
Montisi is divided into four contrade:- Castello, or the area of the medieval village. The colors of its flag are white, yellow and blue;
- Piazza, located near the Castle. The colors of its flag are orange, white and green and in its coat of arms appear the "Colonna" (a little obelisk) and aspindle;
- San Martino, it's in the northeastern part of the village. The colors of its flag are red, white and blue;
- Torre, takes its name from the Tower of the Grange, which was destroyed in 1944. The colors of its flag are red, white and black.
The monuments
- The façade
The Grange of Santa Maria della Scala is the most important monument in Montisi. It was built by the Spedale in 14th century and, when it sold the Grange, the farm was bought by Jacopo Mannucci Benincasa, Secretary of the Grand Duke
Grand Duke
The title grand duke is used in Western Europe and particularly in Germanic countries for provincial sovereigns. Grand duke is of a protocolary rank below a king but higher than a sovereign duke. Grand duke is also the usual and established translation of grand prince in languages which do not...
of Tuscany Peter Leopold. On 30 June 1944, retreating German troops blew up the tower. Currently, the Grange is a private home and a farmhouse.
The building is built around two main courtyards, separate from what was once an open loggia. In the southern, there is a small 19th century theater, the result of a radical restoration work in the early 21st century. Now the theater is used for shows and comedies.
- Pieve of the Santissima Annunziata
The Pieve of the Santissima Annunziata is the parish church of Montisi. It was built with the contemporary church of Santo Stefano in Cennano, in the nearby village of Castelmuzio, in the thirteenth century in Romanesque style, but it has undergone over the centuries various restorations and alterations. In the eighteenth century the church was restored in Baroque style by the Bishop of Pienza
Roman Catholic Diocese of Montepulciano-Chiusi-Pienza
The Italian Catholic Diocese of Montepulciano-Chiusi-Pienza, in Tuscany, has existed in the current form since 1986. In that year the diocese of Chiusi-Pienza was united into the historical diocese of Montepulciano...
Septimius Cinughi and was re-dedicated - as a plaque to the left of the entrance. The last major intervention began in mid-twentieth century, when the parson Elio Benvenuti to the church expanded by building a new apse and the side chapel. The Romanesque facade still retains the look with two windows on the sides of the portal and the masonry blocks of tuff. The interior, however, is in Renaissance style and the nave is divided into four bays by three sets of three arches supported by marble columns. The church has many works of art such as the altar piece "Madonna enthroned with Saints Paul, James, Peter and Louis" by Neroccio di Bartolomeo de' Landi
Neroccio di Bartolomeo de' Landi
Neroccio di Bartolomeo de' Landi was an Italian painter and sculptor of the early-Renaissance or Quattrocento period in Siena.He was a student of Vecchietta, and then he shared a workshop with Francesco di Giorgio from 1468...
, and the "Crucifixion" painted in the mid-fourteenth century .
- Curacy of Saints Flora and Lucilla
The church of Saints Flora and Lucilla, also called "la Cura" because at one time ruled by a curate, is the second most important church in the village. It was the first church in the village to be built in the Middle Ages and has been completely restored in Baroque style in 1732 at the behest of the Bishop of Pienza
Roman Catholic Diocese of Montepulciano-Chiusi-Pienza
The Italian Catholic Diocese of Montepulciano-Chiusi-Pienza, in Tuscany, has existed in the current form since 1986. In that year the diocese of Chiusi-Pienza was united into the historical diocese of Montepulciano...
Septimius Cinughi. The church, then home to several fraternities, was enlarged in the mid-nineteenth century thanks to funding family Mannucci Benincasa: were made in the transept, the new apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
, the main altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
, the sacristy and the bell tower. It was also donated the pipe organ located on the cantoria, not currently accessible and free of much of the material sound technician. The interior has a nave with four altars along the walls and transept formed by the chapels dedicated at the Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart
The Sacred Heart is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of His divine love for Humanity....
(right chapel) and at Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes is the name used to refer to the Marian apparition said to have appeared before various individuals on separate occasions around Lourdes, France...
(left chapel). In the chancel is the altar, decorated with neo-Gothic paintings and large crucifix donated in 1944. Behind it, in the apse, there is a French harmonium. The church was left abandoned for about twenty years and recently reopened; now itis used every year for master classes in harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
by the Piccola Accademia di Montisi.
- Oratory of Saint Anthony of the Brotherhood of Blessed Sacrament
The Oratory of Saint Anthony of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament, also called the "Company" under the Brotherhood will meet here today, was built in the fifteenth century and restored in Baroque style in 1616 and 1773. The prospectus of the small church is the simple façade with a portal and rose window
Rose window
A Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in churches of the Gothic architectural style and being divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery...
. The interior, in Baroque style, has a single nave consists of three bays covered by vault. The space reserved for members of the brotherhood has benches along the side walls and is bordered by a simple balustrade painted wood. The altar is located against the back wall and houses the painting by Giovanni di Giovanni "Last Supper
Last Supper
The Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...
" and, under the table, processional statue of the "Dead Christ". The fifteenth-century crypt, the sacristy and the meeting room are used as a Museum of Sacred Art, with furnishings from the oratory and the church of Saints Flora and Lucilla, and objects painted processional and stretchers. In the crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
, located beneath the nave of the church, there is a medieval fresco depicting the uncertain attribution "Jesus Crucified". In the meeting room, which is above the sacristy, are preserved ancient missals, the processional statue of "Our Lady of Seven Sorrows" and a banner painted with the symbol of brotherhood.
- Mannucci Benincasa Palace
The Mannucci Benincasa Palace is located in the Piazza Contrada, on Via Umberto I. It was built by the family Mannucci Benincasa in the eighteenth century as his palace and in the manner of a tower house. It was later expanded in the nineteenth century: the porch in blocks of tuff, which was on the left, was incorporated in the building and was also expanded from the part that faced the country with the construction of the garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
. The facade on Via Umberto I is characterized by the great portal in solid wood doors with wrought iron frame with carved leaves and marble ashlar. The lobby of the building, long and low, is covered by a barrel vault with frescoes lowered monochrome. In the stairwell, located down the hall and characterized by circular ramp, there is a family crest Mannucci Benincasa glazed and painted earthenware. On the occasion of the Giostra di Simone and the Festa dell'Olio Novo, held in the hall of exhibitions of local handicrafts.
- Civic Tower and the "Colonna"
Along the slope that connects via Umberto I, the town's main street, with the Castello's Contrada, there are two symbolic monuments of the country: the Civic Tower and the "Colonna". The Civic Tower was built in the nineteenth century and was renovated in winter 2007. The building, visible from both the country and from dontorni for his height, is partly covered with cream-colored plaster, even in part with the stone walls (especially the corners). The tower is characterized by two clock dials with Roman numerals and by the metal structure, located on the top, that holds the bell that rings every half hour. The Colonna, however, despite its name, is a small obelisk made of four overlapping blocks of stone. It was donated as a vow to the Madonna in the second half of the nineteenth century; in fact, within a small niche closed grate, there is a sacred effigy of Mary. Despite being very close to each other, the two monuments belong to two different districts: the Colonna is in Piazza's Contrada but the Civic Tower is in Castello's Contrada.
Folklore
Every year, on the afternoon of the Sunday closest to August 5, the feast of Our Lady of the Snows, there is the traditional Giostra di Simone, attended the four quarters of the country, which includes a parade with costumed along the way main race of the flagFlag
A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...
and a carousel horseback in which you must thread the campanella, a ring placed on the shoulder of the Buratto, a dummy which turns on itself. The festival ends with a song of thanksgiving in the sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
of Our Lady of the Snows.
In addition, during the year, are held in Montisi three other folk events:
- The Festa dell'Olio Novo (english: New Oil Festival) (1-2 November), during which you can visit the various mills in the area and taste and buy the new oil and other products;
- The procession of Corpus Christi (Sunday after the feast of Corpus Christi), during which, after Mass, is carried in procession through the streets of the consecrated host country;
- Procession of the Dead Christ (Good FridayGood FridayGood Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
evening), which is carried in procession along Via Umberto I, the statue of the Dead Christ, which is usually located beneath the altar of the church of the Society.