Montalcino - Abbazia di Sant'Antimo

It is proven, that the Abbazia di Sant'Antimo existed since Carolingian times. Legends (of course) know, that it was Charlemagne himself, who founded the abbey when he had left Rome, following the Via Francigana northward. The earliest document relating to the abbey is a land grant of Charlemagne´s son Louis the Pious from 813.

One year after the 1117 Verona earthquake, that destroyed so many buildings in Northern Italy, the erection of the church of today started. At that time the a powerful abbey was one of the largest landowners in the area.

The decline started in 1212, when, after a decade of hostility, an agreement stated that the abbey had to hand over a quarter of its territories to Siena, including Montalcino.

With the rise of the Dominican and the Franciscan Order, the Benedictines lost more influence. In 1462 Pope Pius II surpressed the abbey (just like Abbadia Ardenga, see previous uploads), annexed what ever was left - and handed it over to the Bishop of of Montalcino-Pienza, who was Pius' nephew.

The church is about 43 metres long. The church is often compared to Saint-Étienne in Vignory (consecrated ~ 1050 /Burgundy /~ 1000 kms northwest). The influence of French architects and artists, maybe connected to Cluny, is undisputed.

This Romanesque relief is placed high on the campanile.

Depicted is Mary, holding the child and flanked by the evangelists. It was probably carved in the first half of the 12th century, in a time, when in Northern France the Gothic style evolved and "Mary" became a central part of the iconography.

This relief was carved a few decades before the "Portal Royal" in Chartres (1150) and the "Portail de la Vierge" in Senlis (1170).