Story of Blessed Sorore

History of Sorore

According to the hospital's payment records from 1441, Lorenzo di Pietro received payment for the creation of a fresco that today can be found to the left above the lateral door of the hospital, in the direction of the wards of Sant'Ansano and San Galgano. The fresco, rich in characters and architectural details, is considered one of the most complex in the entire cycle. The scene depicts an architectural structure that recalls Roman triumphal arches, with a three-aisle perspective and ribbed vaulted ceilings supported by fluted pillars. On the façade, two metopes represent Adam and Eve, and Cain and Abel, influenced by classical sculpture. The main scene shows a seated figure and a kneeling character in front of it, who is recounting a vision or a dream. Behind them, a ladder leads children towards the Virgin. Under the portico, on the right, two figures are depicted with a child in the act of giving and receiving a monetary donation. The oblate wears the robes of the hospital oblates, and the figure opposite him is a canon of the cathedral. This fresco is rich in complex meanings, with its focus on the ladder, meant to symbolize the hospital structure, but also a symbol of Jacob’s vision and redemption. The reference to the hospital’s vocation is clear in the scene under the portico, where an oblate or Sorore himself receives a donation from a canon while a child draws attention to him. Scholars have interpreted the scene, in which the vision of a simple hospital oblate is recounted, as a reference to a founding myth. The group of elderly figures on the right has been recognized as representatives of the Orthodox Church involved in the Ferrara-Florence Council. The character in the background wearing a helmet is Sigismund, who was in Siena between 1432 and 1433.