The former Institute of Santa Teresa and Oratory of Santa Teresa are encompassed by buildings located on via San Quirico #36 in

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

, region of

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, Italy. The oratory is located inside the former Institute. Facing the Carceri di Sant'Ansano, the entrance is found to the right through the

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.05%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4.5%), or 0.25 for low carbon "mild" steel. Wrought iron is manufactured by heating and melting high carbon cast iron in an ...

gateway between

pilasters In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

holding lamps, leading to three archways. The former Institute building extends down the street to the right, and constitutes an example of late 19th-century

Renaissance Revival architecture Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival ar ...

History

The complex and the oratory were commissioned by the Monsignor Leopoldo Bufalini as a school for girls. Construction in a Neo-Renaissance style took place between 1877 and 1885, using designs by

Giuseppe Partini Giuseppe Partini (Siena, 1842–1895) was an Italian architect, mostly involved in reconstructions in his native Siena. ''Giuseppe Partini (1842-1895): architetto del purismo senese'' (1981) by Maria Cristina Buscioni. He was active with the sc ...

. The entrance archways lead to a double ramp stairwell with loggia decorated by Giorgio Bandini and L. Mazzuoli in 1875-1880. In the reception hall were frescoes by

Ricciardo Meacci Ricciardo Meacci (5 December 1856 – 15 January 1938) was an Italian (Sienese) painter from the school of " Purismo" who came under the influence of the "Pre-Raphaelite" movement.H. Zimmern, 'Ricciardo Meacci', ''The Magazine of Art'' (Cassell an ...

. The oratory or chapel had highly decorated wood ceilings, elaborately carved by Giorgio Badini. The main altarpiece was a ''

Transverberation Religious ecstasy is a purported form of altered state of consciousness characterized by greatly reduced external awareness and reportedly expanded interior mental and spiritual awareness, frequently accompanied by visions and emotional (and so ...

of St

Teresa of Ávila Teresa of Ávila (born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada; 28March 15154or 15October 1582), also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Carmelite nun and prominent Spanish mystic and religious reformer. Active during the Counter-Re ...

'' (1875) by

Alessandro Franchi Alessandro Franchi may refer to: * Alessandro Franchi (cardinal) (1819–1878), Italian cardinal and archbishop * Alessandro Franchi (painter) Alessandro Franchi (15 March 1838 – 29 April 1914) was an Italian painter. He worked in a combinatio ...

. The altar was sculpted by Leopoldo Maccaro. The ceiling has a ''St

Simon Stock Simon Stock, OCarm was an English Catholic priest and saint who lived in the 13th century and was an early prior of the Carmelite Order. The Blessed Virgin Mary is traditionally said to have appeared to him and given him the Brown Scapular. Po ...

Receives the Carmelite Habit (Brown Scapular) from the Virgin'' also by Franchi (1884). The oratory had a number of canvases, among them ''Prophets Elias and Eliseo'', a ''St Girolamo Emiliani'' and a ''Santa Cecilia'' painted by

(1856-1938). Franchi also painted a ''Madonna del Carmine with Saints Agnes and Louis''; Gaetano Marinelli (1835-1924) painted ''Saints Joseph, Bernardino, and Catherine''; Giuseppe Catani painted a ''Santa Caterina delle Ruote''; and Leone Leoncini painted a ''St Vincent of Paul'' and a ''St Thomas Acquinas and St Giuseppe Calasanzio''.E. Torrini, ed., ''Guida di Siena e dei suoi dintorni'' (Siena 1907)
pp. 75-76

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Teresa Siena Roman Catholic churches in Siena 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Buildings and structures in Siena