San Donato, also called San Michele al Monte di San Donato, is a

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

style,

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 ...

church located on the Piazza on Via dell'Abbadia,

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. The Monte de Paschi di Siena, whose original offices were in the

Palazzo Salimbeni Palazzo Salimbeni is a Gothic style urban palace located on the Piazza Salimbeni, just off Via Banchi di Sopra in the Terzo di Camollia of the city of Siena, region of Tuscany, Italy. The building, associated with an ancient mercantile family of ...

, whose rear facade faces the church, has a Pinacoteca/Museum called San Donato.

History

A church, initially titled to St Michael Archangel, and named San Michele in Poggio, was present here by 1119. It initially was attached to a

Vallombrosan The Vallombrosians (alternately spelled Vallombrosans, Vallumbrosians or Vallumbrosans) are a monastic religious order in the Catholic Church. They are named after the location of their motherhouse founded in Vallombrosa ( la, Vallis umbrosa, sha ...

Abbey, founded in 1096 by Pietro da Siena. In 1683, it was transferred to the

Carmelite Order , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

, and rebuilt in Baroque style. In 1816, it became a parish church under the present dedication. The present facade was restored in a neo-medieval style in 1940–1942. The lower portion is made of stone, while to top is brick with a marble rose window. Traces of the romanesque church remain in the crossing. The main altar has two marble angels attributed to Giuseppe Mazzuoli. Among the works inside the church are a ''Christ with Crown of Spines'' by

Sebastiano Folli Sebastiano Folli (1568–1621) was an Italian painter of the late Renaissance period. He was a scholar of Alessandro Casolano, and a native of Siena. He distinguished himself by several frescoes in the churches at Siena, particularly the cupola ...

, a ''Christ appears to St John of the Cross'' by Giovan Battista Sorbi and five canvases depicting the ''Life of St Theresa of Avila'' by

Antonio Nasini Francesco Nasini (Piancastagnaio, either 1611 or 1621– Castel del Piano, 1695) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in towns outside of Siena, Italy. Francesco was the progenitor of a pedigree of painters. He had a brother ...

. The apse frescoes (1794) were completed by

Luigi Ademollo Luigi Ademollo (April 30, 1764 – February 11, 1849) was an Italian painter. Biography He was born in Milan. He studied at the Brera Academy, where he was taught by Giulio Traballesi, Giocondo Albertolli, and Giuseppe Piermarini. He left Milan i ...

.Guida di Siena e dei suoi dintorni
Enrico Torrini, editor; Siena, (1907); page 115.

References

15th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches in Siena Baroque architecture in Siena {{italy-church-stub