San Niccolò al Carmine, also called Santa Maria del Carmine is a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

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 and monastery located in Pian dei Mantellini #30, near the corner of Via della Diana in the Terzo de Citta 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, Italy. The church now serves as the Oratory for the

Contrada A (plural: ) is a subdivision (of various types) of Italian city, now unofficial. Depending on the case, a will be a ''località'', a ''rione'', a ''quartiere'' (''terziere'', etc.), a '' borgo'', or even a suburb. The best-known are the 1 ...

of Pantera. Across the street from the belltower is the Palazzo Celsi Pollini. North along Pian dei Mantellini, toward the Arco delle Due Porte, and on the same side of the street are a number of palaces built around what was once the Monastery of the Derelict Women: in order they are the Neoclassical Palazzo Incontri, the Palazzo Ravissa and the Palazzo Segardi.

History

Tradition holds that some hermits lived at the site in 770; the site then acquired an aedicule with the icon of the ''Mantellini''. A church and convent of the

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

developed at the site and was documented since about 1265. At this time, the church was outside the walls of the medieval city, outside the Porta de Due Porte, also called the ''Gate of Stalloregi'' and the Arco di Santa Lucia. In the 14th-century, the convent was engrossed by the Walls of Siena. The church and bell-tower as we see it today was designed by

Baldassare Peruzzi Baldassare Tommaso Peruzzi (7 March 1481 – 6 January 1536) was an Italian architect and painter, born in a small town near Siena (in Ancaiano, ''frazione'' of Sovicille) and died in Rome. He worked for many years with Bramante, Raphael, and la ...

in 1517; work continued on the church until the 17th century. Later it became a military barrack. To the sides of the entry is an ''Anunciation'' by Dionisio Montorselli. A fresco in the second altar on the right depicts a 14th-century ''Assumption of the Virgin''. An ''Adoration of the Shepherds'' on the right was begun by Riccio, and completed by 1571 by

Arcangelo Salimbeni Arcangelo Salimbeni (circa 1536 –1579) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period active in his native Siena, Italy. He was the father of the painter Ventura Salimbeni, stepfather of Francesco Vanni, and son of Leonardo. He was a follower ...

, Another painting here is by

Rutilio Manetti Rutilio di Lorenzo Manetti (c. 1571 – 22 July 1639) was an Italian painter of late-Mannerism or proto-Baroque, active mainly in Siena. Biography He was influenced and/or taught by the local artists Francesco Vanni and Ventura Salimbeni. He is k ...

; ''St Bartholomew'' in the Counterfacade altar is a masterwork (1604) by

Alessandro Casolani Alessandro Casolani (1552–1606) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance period, active mainly in Siena. Biography He was also called ''Alessandro della Torre''. He was born at Siena, and was the pupil of Ventura Salimbeni and of Cristofo ...

. The ''Vision of St Teresa of Avila'', was painted by Giuseppe Colignon; an ''Ascent of Christ'' by Giacomo Pacchiarotti is on a sepulchral monument with relics of the blessed Giovanni Colombini. The ''St Michael defeats the Rebel Angels'' is a masterwork by

Domenico Beccafumi Domenico di Pace Beccafumi (1486May 18, 1551) was an Italian Renaissance-Mannerist painter active predominantly in Siena. He is considered one of the last undiluted representatives of the Sienese school of painting. Biography Domenico was born ...

in the altar near the lateral door. An altar on the right houses an ancient and revered icon of the Virgin, the ''Madonna dei Mantellini'' (circa 1240). The Byzantine style image had popular devotion as the focus for prayers for infants and newborns (who were swaddled in "Mantellini") and this gave name to the area and street. Around the painting are depictions of saints by

Francesco Vanni Francesco Vanni (1563 – 26 October 1610) was an Italian painter, draughtsman, printmaker, publisher and printer active in Rome and his native city of Siena.

. The ''Chapel of the Holiest Sacrament'' at the right end of the nave, was once kept by the wool-workers. The marble altar was created by Lorenzo di Mariano and it has a ''Nativity of Mary'' by

Sodoma Il Sodoma (1477 – 14 February 1549) was the name given to the Italian Renaissance painter Giovanni Antonio Bazzi. Il Sodoma painted in a manner that superimposed the High Renaissance style of early 16th-century Rome onto the traditions of ...

. The Mannerist painter Girolamo del Pacchia also decorated this chapel in 1512. Next to the Main Altar is a canvas depicting the ''Blessed Franco'' by

and a ''St Teresa of Avila'' by

Stefano Volpi Stefano Volpi or Volpe (c. 1585–1642) was an Italian painter from the early Baroque art period, mainly painting sacred subjects in Siena, Italy. According to Luigi Lanzi, he was either a pupil or collaborator with Rutilio Manetti.Tommaso Redi Tommaso Redi (22 December 1665 – 10 October 1726) was an Italian painter, active during the late- Baroque in his native Florence. He initially apprenticed with the Florentine painter Anton Domenico Gabbiani (1652–1726), and then moved ...

. The Sacristy (1512) was designed by Vannoccio Biringucci, and has a ''St Sigismondo'' in terra cotta by

Giacomo Cozzarelli Giacomo is an Italian name. It is the Italian version of the Hebrew name Jacob. People * Giacomo (name), including a list of people with the name Other uses * Giacomo (horse), a race horse, winner of the 2005 Kentucky Derby * ''Giácomo'' (film) ...

(1515). The cloister was completed in the 16th century and was frescoed by

Giuseppe Nasini Giuseppe Nicola Nasini (January 25, 1657– July 3, 1736) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active in Rome and Tuscany. Biography Born in Castel del Piano, now in the Province of Grosseto, Giuseppe was the son of the painter Frances ...

.Guida di Siena e dei suoi dintorni
Enrico Torrini, editor; Siena, (1907); page 77-78.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Niccolo del Carmine, Siena Roman Catholic churches in Siena Renaissance architecture in Siena 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy