Madonna del Soccorso, Montalcino
| Madonna del Soccorso | |
|---|---|
St Mary | |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Co-cathedral |
| Completed | 1330 |
The Madonna or Santa Maria del Soccorso is a
Roman Catholic Co-cathedral church or Sanctuary located at Via Spagni in Montalcino, region of Tuscany, Italy. The church was erected across the centuries and thus erected in multiple styles, including a renaissance layout, baroque interiors, and a neoclassical
façade.
History
The church was initially built at the site of a chapel set against the walls of the town, with a frescoed Madonna and Child. A church build around this icon was consecrated in 1330. In 1553, it gained the title of Santa Maria del Soccorso after a repulse of besieging
landsknechts of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
.
Among the interior artworks is a Crucifixion by
Vicenzo da San Gimignano. This latter painting was originally found in the Oratory of St Roch in the town.[2]
The bell-tower was added in 1625, and the façade was not completed until the early 19th-century. In 1913, the Madonna del Soccorso was named patron of the Diocese and city, and a festival is held in her honor on May 8, with a special celebration every 25 years.[3]
References
- ^ Viae Siena, website of religious itineraries around Siena, La Via Della Santa 2011.
- ^ Opere: secondo le migliori stampe e con alcuni scritti inediti, by Giorgio Vasari, with notes by A. Racheli, (1857) page 587.
- ^ Viae Siena website.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
