Palazzo Sansedoni is a

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

style urban palace and tower, whose concave facade is situated facing the

Palazzo Pubblico The Palazzo Pubblico (''town hall'') is a palace in Siena, Tuscany, central Italy. Construction began in 1297 to serve as the seat of the Republic of Siena's government, which consisted of the Podestà and Council of Nine, the elected officia ...

across the Piazza del Campo in the political center 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.

History

The palace was erected after the mid-13th century fusing nearly five private homes, and closing one of the access points to the Piazza. The contract and design for the building from 1340 still survives, which names the master masons Agostino di Giovanni, Agostino di Rosso and Cecco di Casino as responsible. Completion of the palace took nearly a century. In 1466, the owner, Tofo di Cecco Sansedoni, was requested to complete the Piazza facade, and fill in many of the window arches. The street side was satisfactorily completed. Some sources report the tower was truncated in order to not have it taller than the

Torre del Mangia The Torre del Mangia is a tower in Siena, in the Tuscany region of Italy. Built in 1338-1348, it is located in the Piazza del Campo, Siena's main square, next to the Palazzo Pubblico (Town Hall). When built it was one of the tallest secular towe ...

. The ground floor would have had many shops lining the street and campo. The palace underwent numerous alterations, and the palace as we see it in 2014 is due to a refurbishment in pure original gothic style by the architect

Ferdinando Ruggieri Ferdinando Ruggeri (Florence, 1691–1741) was an Italian architect, active in Florence during the late Baroque period. Ruggèri helped design the left facade of the Church of San Firenze (1715), the Palazzo Capponi in Florence, the Palazzo Sans ...

. The trifore mullioned windows now appear to be partially blocked by a lower brick wall. The interior has decorations (1645-1760) completed by Gian Domenico Ferretti and

Anton Domenico Gabbiani Anton Domenico Gabbiani (13 February 1652 – 22 November 1726) was an Italian painter and active in a late Baroque style. Biography Born in Florence, Gabbiani first apprenticed with the Medici court portrait painter Justus Sustermans, then w ...

. Gabbiani painted a ''Glory of the Blessed Ambrogio Sansedoni'' for the private chapel. In 2015, the palace has offices and exhibition spaces for the Fondazione

Fondazione Monte dei Paschi di Siena Fondazione Monte dei Paschi di Siena (FMPS) is a philanthropic organization based in Siena, Tuscany, Italy. The foundation was in fact the original statutory corporation of Monte dei Paschi di Siena. Due to Legge Amato, in 1995 there was a separa ...

.Fondazione Banca Monte dei Paschi

Bibliography

*''Toscana. Guida d'Italia'' (Guida rossa), Touring Club Italiano, Milano 2003, p. 536.

References

{{Authority control Sansedoni Gothic architecture in Siena