Santo Spirito 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 located in piazza Santo Spirito, where Via dei Pispini meets Vicolo del Sasso, in

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 ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

History

Building at the site was begun by the

Biccherna The Biccherna was the magistrate or chancellery of finance from the 13th to the 14th century for the republic and then city of Siena, region of Tuscany, Italy. The records of the office are significant not only because Siena was one of the earlie ...

for monks of the Silvestrine order in 1345. In 1440 it was passed to the

Benedictines , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

of Santa Giustina, and soon after to the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

. They held the monastery till their suppression in 1782. The Benedictines were the first to erect a library. The church is largely a reconstruction from 1498-1504; the architectural design is attributed to

Francesco di Giorgio Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1439–1501) was an Italian architect, engineer, painter, sculptor, and writer. As a painter, he belonged to the Sienese School. He was considered a visionary architectural theorist—in Nikolaus Pevsner's terms ...

, and

Pandolfo Petrucci Pandolfo Petrucci (14 February 1452 – 21 May 1512) was a ruler of the Italian Republic of Siena during the Renaissance. Biography Born and raised in Siena, a member of an aristocratic family, Petrucci was exiled from his home in 1483 for bei ...

. The cupola was completed in 1504, but the church was not consecrated till 1513. The marble portal (1519) 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 ...

. The interior houses the funeral monument of a number of Spaniards, including Daniel Burgos, Ferdinando Alvarez, Pietro Crispo Spagnuoli, and a chapel (Cappella degli Spagnoli) which is one of

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 ...

's masterpieces. The chapel was painted (1530) in Renaissance style with tromp-d'oeil and architecture, and includes frescoes of ''Saints James'' (Patron of Spain), ''Anthony'', and ''Sebastian''; a canvas of the ''Virgin and Saints''.

Astolfo Petrazzi Astolfo Petrazzi (1583–1665) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in his hometown of Siena, but also Spoleto and Rome. He was a pupil of mainly Francesco Vanni, but also worked under Ventura Salimbeni and Pietro Sorri. ...

painted a ''San Francesco di Paola''. The statue of St Vincent Ferrer is by Giacomo Cozzarelli (1453 – 1515). Other works in the church include a ''Jesus at Gesthemane'', a ''Deposition'', and a ''St Vincent'' by

Giovanni Paolo Pisani Giovanni Paolo Pisani (1574-1637) was an Italian painter, active mainly in a Mannerist style in Siena. ...

. The main altar has a ''St Hyacinth'' (1600) painted 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.

, while the four episodes of the ''Life of the Saint'' were painted by

Ventura Salimbeni Ventura di Archangelo Salimbeni (also later called Bevilacqua; 20 January 1568 – 1613) was an Italian Counter-Maniera painter and printmaker highly influenced by the ''vaghezza'' and sensual reform of Federico Barocci. Biography Salimbe ...

. The church once held the relics of Santa Orsina, once in the suppressed Monastery of Vita Eterna. The four saints painted alongside the main altar were painted 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 ...

. The Tribune of the Choir has a ''Descent of the Holy Spirit'' (1703) by

Giuseppe Nicola 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 della città di Siena: per gli amatori delle belle arti
by Marco Ferri, page 130-133. The church also has a terracotta

nativity scene In the Christianity, Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also known as a manger scene, crib, crèche ( or ), or in Italian language, Italian ''presepio'' or ''presepe'', or Bethlehem) is the special exhibition, particularly during the Christ ...

or presepe by

Ambrogio della Robbia Ambrogio is a given name, and may refer to: *Saint Ambrogio (Ambrose), patron saint of Milan *Ambrogio Lorenzetti ( – 1348), painter * Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, the birth name of Pope Pius XI *Ambrogio Bergognone, Renaissance painter *Amb ...

. In the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

, located where once was the cloister, is a 1516 fresco by

Fra Paolo da Pistoia Fra Paolino da Pistoia OP (1490 – August 3, 1547) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period, active in Tuscany. He was a son of the painter Bernardino del Signoraccio. He was a Dominican friar who painted in a style similar to Fr ...

References

{{Coord, 43.3180, N, 11.3375, E, type:landmark_region:IT, display=title Roman Catholic churches completed in 1504 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Roman Catholic churches in Siena Renaissance architecture in Siena