Siena 2024 – Santa Maria della Scala – San Crescenzio

By Lorenzo di Pietro, detto ‘Il Vecchietta’.

San Crescenzio was a martyr for the Christian faith. He was beheaded at age 11 under the emperor Diocletian around 303 AD. He is one of the patron saints of Siena. Here you can see him carrying his own head and holding the palm of martyrdom.

According to legend the Santa Maria della Scala hospital was opened on 898 by a cobbler named Sorore. However, the first known document mentioning it dates from March 29, 1090. The last parts of the hospital left the historical buildings opposite the Duomo in 1996 and it was turned into a museum complex. It is still being restored.