Places of faith but also places that tell the story of a neighbourhood, a village, a region. A journey of discovery exploring the rich architectural and artistic heritage that testifies to the devotion and the religious spirit of an entire people. An itinerary of the spirit and of faith, to rediscover one’s inner self in the silence that reigns over the sites of this unique region.
The church, which opens onto Corso Rossellino, is the sole surviving relic of medieval Corsignano. It was built by the Friars Minor in the 13th century, only a few years after St. Francis’s death in 1226. The façade, which reflects the austerity typical of the mendicant orders, has a single portal surmounted by a small round window or “oculus”. The interior consists of a single nave with a wooden trussed beam roof, while the walls still have fragments of the frescoes that were the religious orders’ way of offering the faithful depictions of stories from the Bible in order to educate them in their religion. The square chancel, lit by a large lancet window at the east end, is frescoed throughout with a cycle depicting twelve episodes from the Life of St. Francis, painted by two mid-14th century Sienese artists named Cristoforo di Bindoccio and Meo di Pero.
The church of Santa Caterina, which was built in the 17th century, lies outside the city centre at the end of a panoramic avenue named after it. A walk down the avenue offers travellers the opportunity to admire the superb landscape of the Val d’Orcia which, as a plaque situated along the avenue reminds us, is a recognised UNESCO World Heritage site.
The church’s simple brick façade belies the interior’s richly decorated single nave with its superb stuccowork. The Baroque high altar hosts a 17th century canvas enclosing a fragment of a 14th century fresco of the Sienese school depicting the Madonna and Child, an object of intense devotion from time immemorial.
Corsignano’s ancient parish church, dedicated to St. Vitus and St. Modestus, stands in isolation in the countryside just outside Pienza. The church has a façade with a pitched roof, blind arcading and an 11th century portal. The monumental cylindrical bell tower standing to the north of the church façade can be dated to some time between the 10th and 11th centuries. The interior, comprising a nave and two side aisles, contains the old baptismal font in which tradition tells us Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini was christened. Corsignano parish church, which was one of the more important stations on the Via Francigena, is the perfect place from which to enjoy a magnificent view of the Val d’Orcia, a true paradise of peace and quiet.