The Santuario del Romituzzo (Sanctuary of the Romituzzo) is a 15th-century

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 ...

oratory/sanctuary church built just outside of the town of

Poggibonsi Poggibonsi is a town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, central Italy. It is located on the river Elsa and is the main centre of the Valdelsa Valley. History The area around Poggibonsi was already settled in the Neolithic age, although the firs ...

, 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 sanctuary gained its name from

eremitic A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...

cells (''romitaggio'') likely located here in prior to the 14th century. A tabernacle built at the site by the 15th century had acquired an icon of the ''Madonna and Child'', depicting the veneration known as the ''Madonna della Neve'' (Madonna of the Snows) as painted by an unknown Sienese School artist. Legend holds the icon was found outside after a late spring snowfall. As veneration of the image increased, in 1460, Antonio Adimari, feudal lord of a nearby castle at Strozzavolpe erected an oratory with a loggia. In 1550, a church was erected, with a campanile by 1570. The fresco of the ''Pietà'' (1571) fresco by Jacopo dei Caldori in the sacristy, and the crucifix over the main altar were commissioned in 1571. In the 17th century, while the sanctuary was in decline, it continued to be officiated by Augustinian priests from the local church of San Lorenzo and the Franciscans from San Lucchese. In 1682, bishop of

Colle Val d'Elsa Colle di Val d'Elsa or Colle Val d'Elsa is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Siena, Tuscany, central Italy. It has a population of c. 21,600 . Its name means "Hill of Elsa Valley", where Elsa is the name of the river which crosses it and ...

allowed the oratory to melt some of the silver ex voto offerings to make the chandelier (1707) above the main altar. In 1788, the administration of the sanctuary, due to irregularities was linked to the church of Sant Maria Assunta di Poggibonsi, to which it was linked until 1967. Restorations occurred in the 20th century, specially after damage during World War II.Romituzzo official site

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Romituzzo Poggibonsi 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Renaissance architecture in Tuscany Churches in the province of Siena Roman Catholic churches in Tuscany Buildings and structures in Poggibonsi