The church of Santa Maria Nuova is a

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 ...

place of worship, located just outside the walls of the town of

Cortona Cortona (, ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Arezzo, in Tuscany, Italy. It is the main cultural and artistic centre of the Val di Chiana after Arezzo. Toponymy Cortona is derived from Latin Cortōna, and from Etruscan 𐌂𐌖𐌓� ...

, in

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.

Construction

The church was built to house a miraculous image of the Blessed Virgin that previously had been in a private chapel. Construction was begun in 1550, and the church was consecrated in 1610. The original church design is attributed to

Giorgio Vasari Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculpt ...

, and modified by Battista Cristoforo Fanelli. Nestled half-way up and against a hillside, the ground plan is a square, and the church is surmounted by a dome with a lantern, completed in 1600.

Furnishings

The high altar was completed by Cortonese artist

Bernardino Radi Bernardino Radi (2 December 1581 – 29 May 1643) was an Italian engraver and architect, born in Cortona, who etched a set of plates depicting architectural ornaments and monuments, published in Rome in 1618, under the title o''Varie invenzoni ...

. The

altarpiece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting o ...

to the right of the entrance holds a painting by

Alessandro Allori Alessandro di Cristofano di Lorenzo del Bronzino Allori (Florence, 31 May 153522 September 1607) was an Italian painter of the late Mannerist Florentine school. Biography In 1540, after the death of his father, Allori was brought up and trai ...

, depicting the ''Birth of the Virgin Mary'' (16th century). The

rosette window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' w ...

on the facade was designed by

Urbano Urbani Urbano may refer to: * ''Urbano'' (album), a 2002 album by Elvis Crespo * Urbano music, an umbrella term for certain genres of Latin music People with the given name * Urbano José Allgayer (born 1924), Brazilian prelate of the Roman Catholic Ch ...

(16th century) and depicts an ''Adoration of the Magi''."The town's history"
Cortona Web.

References

{{coord, 43.2793, 11.9893, type:landmark_region:IT, display=title Roman Catholic churches completed in 1610 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Maria Nuova Maria Nuova 1610 establishments in Italy