The Church of the Jail of Sant'Ansano, , also known as the Chapel or Oratory of Sant'Ansano in Castelvecchio, is a small, medieval,
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
religious building located on via Tommaso Pendola in the Terzo di Città of the city of
Siena
Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.
The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...
, region of
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze'').
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...
, Italy. Adjacent to the tower is the former
Istituto Santa Teresa.
History
The church or oratory was built in 1444 and consecrated in 1448. The design of the church is attributed to Pietro da Minella. The church was used as an oratory for the
Contrada of the Turtle (Tartuca) until 1663. The brick exterior remains asymmetric and unfinished with some round windows walled up.
Over the entrance portal is a retouched fresco depicting the ''Madonna and Child with Saints Ansano and Caterina da Siena'' by
Francesco Rustici
Francesco Rustici, called Il Rustichino (Siena, 1592 – Siena, 1626) was an Italian painter active in Siena. He worked on commissions for the local churches as well as from the Grand-Dukes of Tuscany. In his work he shows a preference for noc ...
. The oculus above the door has a 17th-century stained glass depicting the saint.
Inside there are some remains of 14th-century frescoes. The main altarpiece depicts the ''Martyrdom of Sant'Ansano'' also by Francesco Rustici. His father
Vincenzo Rustici painted canvases with ''God the Father'' and an ''Annunciation''.
There are a number of other sites dedicated to Sant'Ansano in the province, including a chapel in the cathedral, a sanctuary where he was buried, and a chapel where he escaped death by boiling.
Breve relazione delle cose notabili della città di Siena, ampliata e corretta
by Giovacchino Faluschi, page 65.
Legends
Legends hold that '' Sant'Ansano'', also known as ''Sant'Ansano Battista'' or ''the Baptist'', was jailed in the adjacent tower, which now serves as the bell-tower for the church. Sant'Ansano, venerated as one of the first to convert local pagans to Christianity, while in jail, was said to have continued to baptise many locals from the low window in the tower. However a problem with the story is that the tower likely dates from the 13th century, hence was unlikely to have existed as such during the 4th-century rule of Diocletian
Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...
during which Sant'Ansano was martyrdom.
Sant'Ansano's martyrdom was equally legendary. He was taken outside of the city to be boiled in oil, near the town now called Sant'Ansano, but remained unscathed. From there he was taken to a site near the city, a district called Dofana, where he was decapitated. Each site has churches, sanctuaries or chapels for the saint. He is considered, along with Savino, Crescenzio, and Vittore, one of the four original patron saints of Siena, though their veneration would falter with the addition, over time, to the patronal canon of St Catherine of Siena and San Bernardino of Siena to the roster of local patrons.
References
{{Reflist
Roman Catholic churches in Siena
15th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy