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The Territory > Churchs & shrines |
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Churches and Sanctuaries of Montepulciano
SANCTUARY OF THE MADONNA OF GOOD TRAVEL AT THE TEMPLE OF ST.BIAGIO:
Via di S. Biagio
tel. 0578 716327
At the crossroads for Pienza and Chianciano Terme, turn into the avenue bordered by cypresses that lead to the Temple of St.
Biagio. The Temple exists due to the local people, following a miraculous event that happened in 1518, regarding a 13th century
image of the Virgin and Child. On the 15th September of the same year the first stone of the building was laid : the work directed
by Antonio da Sangallo the Elder, was brought to an end in 1580. In 1739 the Temple was consecrated by the Bishop of Montepulciano
and in 1963 the miraculous image was proclaimed the 'Madonna of Good Travel'.
The principal religious festivals fall on the 3rd February for the martyrdom of S. Biagio and on the first Sunday of September,
for the 'Madonna of Good Travel'.
SANTUARIO MADONNA DELLE TRE AVE NELLA CHIESA DEL GESU':
Via di Voltaia nel corso, tel. 0578 757278
The sanctuary was erected for the devotion to the "Three Ave's", that flourished in Montepulciano starting from 1932 thanks
to two priests who constructed the brotherhood of the same name in the Jesus Church, above the old Jesuit College, today the
seat of the Law Courts.
This devoutness originated in the XIII century, with the apparition of Mary to St. Matilda, acknowledged by Pople Benedict
XV in 1921: the Jesuit Church became a sanctuary thanks to bishop Emilio Giorgi. The Jesuit Order was installed in Montepulciano
in the second half of the XVI century, in 1630 began the construction of the College, and in 1691 they started work to build the
Church, also contributing to it was Andrea Pozzo, under the direction of Giovanni Battista Origoni; the work was concluded
1707 when Sebastiano Cipriani realized the vault of the sanctuary.
The principal religious festival falls on the 8th December for the event of the Immaculate Conception.
SANCTUARY OF ST. AGNES:
Piazza S. Agnese, tel. 0578 757205
The sanctuary of the Montepulciano saint is found in a space facing the 15th century bastions of the Prato Gate, that opens
into the lower part of the historical centre. Rising from a mound outside the city it was founded by St. Agnes Segni (1268-1317),
a Dominican nun, in 1306. The hill chosen by the Saint to build her church was used as a pleasure house and St. Agnes paid 1,
200lire for it: so the hill of the place of sin became a play of prayer. The primitive church was enlarged in 1311 and took
the name the New St. Mary, but immediately after the death of the saint, the devotees started to call it the church of St. Agnes;
at the end of the XVII century it underwent a radical reconstruction.
The liturgical festival of St. Agnes falls on the 20th April, but every year, starting from this date in the St. Agnes Sanctuary
follows nine days of intense prayer that culminated with the 1st May the popular festival for the Saint.
SANCTUARY OF ST. MARY OF THE GRACES:
Piazzale delle Grazie
Rising around a kilometre from the old city walls, in the direction of Torrita and Sinalunga.
The Sanctuary, dates back to the second half of the 1500's, it was constructed as a replacement for chapel, where
a prodigious event happened: a 13th century venerated frescoed image of Mary and the Child, crowned in 1741 at the
Vatican Chapter. The image is considered miraculous because in 1514 it was slashed by a young man with a knife; from
it gushed blood and traces of which are still visible. The angry young man was tried and condemned to death.
The first little church was erected immediately after the miraculous event; the Carmelite fathers, were sent for in 1561,
and they constructed the actual church and officiated there until the end of 1775 when it became the parochial seat.
Inside the church also are present a wooden crucifix from the 1400's, a very rare Renaissance organ of cypress wood and
paintings by Betti, Barbiani, Nasini and Ferretti.
The principal religious festival falls on the third Sunday of September, during which is celebrated the dedication and
the consecration of the Sanctuary to the Madonna.
SANCTUARY OF THE MADONNA OF THE OAK:
Locality Madonna della Querce
From the sanctuary of St. Agnes, to the right go along the winding road towards Acquaviva, that after about 3km leads to the Sanctuary of the Madonna of the Oak. The origins of the sanctuary date back to a miraculous event connected to the cult of the image of Mary. In the June of 1690 a man riding in the scrub of the area, was thrown from a horse. Believing that the place was perhaps haunted by demons, he put in a hollow of an oak a terracotta image of the Madonna. After that, numerous miraculous recoveries happened around it. The place became a centre for many believers, the Jesuit father built a little church, that was consecrated in 1699. In the following centuries, around the tiny church was built an bigger building. After the removal of the Jesuits from Montepulciano in 1775 the church past to the cathedral and was served by a canon delegate. Currently the sanctuary is not regularly officiated.
The principal religious festival falls on the Sunday of the Holy Trinity and is cared for by the parish of St. Agnes.
ST. AUGUSTINE CHURCH:
Where the street widens in the Michelozzo Square, above a short staircase rises the precious facade of the Church of St.
Augustine by Michelozzo, a work of Renaissance taste with elements of late Florentine gothic. The façade is divided by
columns, spaced above them on the second level are open pointed niches for statues. The beautiful scalloped doorway has
in the lunette a terracotta relief by Michelozzo representing the Madonna and St. John the Baptist and St. Augustine.
The upper part, fully Renaissance, has an elaborate rose window and above, within the timpani is a shield with a coat-of-arms.
The inside has only one nave, it was renovated in 1784-1791 abolishing the lateral arms of the cross and shortening the
apse.
THE CATHEDRAL:
The Cathedral, rises from the place of the ancient parish Church of St. Mary, that was erected between 1592 and 1630 by a design of Ippolito Scalza and restored in 1988. The rough wall facade has never been completed. The church rises above a staircase and has three doorways and three windows. On the left-hand corner is the bell-tower of the ancient parish Church, an unfinished work from the second half of the 1400's; observe the sides with their beautiful simplicity. The inside, has harmonious lines, it is a Latin cross divided by columns and three naves. The central nave, with barrel vaults is defined by high columns that frame the connecting arches with the lateral naves.
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