Madonna of the Mantle
In 1444, Domenico di Bartolo painted the Madonna of Mercy in the Chapel of the Relics, which later became a place of veneration. In 1610, the fresco was moved to the Old Sacristy. During the 1969 restoration, preparatory sketches and hidden side panels were discovered.
In 1444, Domenico di Bartolo painted the Madonna of Mercy in the Chapel of the Relics, which later became a place of veneration. In 1610, the fresco was moved to the Old Sacristy. During the 1969 restoration, preparatory sketches and hidden side panels were discovered.
Madonna of the Mantle
In 1444 Domenico di Bartolo, one of the most prolific and active artists working within the hospital, was commissioned to fresco a Madonna of Mercy inside the 14th-century chapel of relics, which from that moment took the name Chapel of the Mantle and became the place of veneration of the work. The fresco was placed above the "grathicola di chiesa" from which the double-locked chest containing the sacra pignora purchased by the hospital in 1359 could be glimpsed. In 1610 the fresco was cut out and transferred to the Old Sacristy, where it was placed under the late-15th-century tabernacle, as the inscription below also shows. On the right side of the mantle we find the depiction of the pope, the rector of the hospital and members of various religious orders to the right of the Virgin, and the emperor and the lay community to her left. In the figures of the pope, the rector and the emperor it is possible to recognize Eugene IV, the rector Francesco di Giovanni Buzzichelli, promoter of the intense artistic activity in the hospital during the 1440s, and the emperor Sigismund, figures already depicted by the artist in the pilgrim's ward frescoes. In 1969, during the restoration, the fresco was detached from the wall and this allowed the discovery, hidden in a niche, of its sinopia and of the two side wings cut during the transfer and the placement of the painting under the marble canopy. The preparatory drawing confirms the author's use of a compositional scheme of the Sienese tradition, from Duccio di Buoninsegna to Ambrogio Lorenzetti.
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The story of Sorore
The fresco in the Pellegrinaio hall, depicting the Story of Sorore, now hangs on the left above the side door that leads to the aisles of Sant'Ansano and San Galgano.
The fresco in the Pellegrinaio hall, depicting the Story of Sorore, now hangs on the left above the side door that leads to the aisles of Sant'Ansano and San Galgano.
The growth of walls
The fresco in the third bay of the pilgrims' hall shows a construction site associated with the hospital, with an octagonal building in the background and a portico where some workers are engaged in the work.
The fresco in the third bay of the pilgrims' hall shows a construction site associated with the hospital, with an octagonal building in the background and a portico where some workers are engaged in the work.
Agostino Novello hands the robe to the rector
The fresco by Priamo della Quercia located in the Pellegrinaio hall, in the fourth bay on the right, depicts the Blessed Agostino Novello presenting the Augustinian habit to the Rector. Among the figures, the emperor John VIII Palaiologos can be recognized.
The fresco by Priamo della Quercia located in the Pellegrinaio hall, in the fourth bay on the right, depicts the Blessed Agostino Novello presenting the Augustinian habit to the Rector. Among the figures, the emperor John VIII Palaiologos can be recognized.
The Pope grants the indulgence
The fresco in the fifth bay on the right, located in the Pellegrinaio hall, depicts Eugene IV handing a parchment to Carlo d'Agnolino Bartoli. In the background, Eastern and African figures can be seen.
The fresco in the fifth bay on the right, located in the Pellegrinaio hall, depicts Eugene IV handing a parchment to Carlo d'Agnolino Bartoli. In the background, Eastern and African figures can be seen.