Santo Spirito is a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

style,

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

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

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

History

Building at the site was begun by the Biccherna for monks of the Silvestrine order in 1345. In 1440 it was passed to the

Benedictines The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly Christian mysticism, contemplative Christian monasticism, monastic Religious order (Catholic), order of the Catholic Church for men and f ...

of Santa Giustina, and soon after to the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

. 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 Petrucci was born and raised in Siena, into an aristocratic family of wealthy merchants. When Petrucci was still ...

. 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 l ...

. 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 the p ...

'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. B ...

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. 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 ...

. 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 and active in Rome and Tuscany. Biography Born in Castel del Piano, now known as Province of Grosseto, Giuseppe was the son of the painter ...

.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 Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also known as a manger scene, crib, crèche ( or ), or in Italian ''presepio'' or ''presepe'', or Bethlehem) is the special exhibition, particularly during the Christmastide, Christmas season, of ar ...

or presepe by Ambrogio della Robbia. In the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, 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 us ...

, located where once was the cloister, is a 1516 fresco by Fra Paolo da Pistoia.

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