Abbadia Isola
In the territory around Monteriggioni you can find many castles, churches and hermitages. A place that must not be missed is the nearby village of Abbadia Isola, the Island, so named in ancient times because of its raised position with respect to the marshland that encircled it. This village grew around a Cistercian Abbey called San Salvatore, founded in 1001 by Ava a member of the noble Lombardi family who were lords of the surrounding lands.
The site was chosen because of its proximity to the Via Francigena and the Abbey offered shelter and aide to pilgrims travelling along the ancient way. The Abbey gradually controlled more and more of the surrounding territory in the centuries that followed and acquired land and castles. But the position of the Abbey on the boarders of the lands controlled by Siena and Florence, exposed the church to situations of continuous tension. It consequently became the scene of many military and political episodes until its final decline in the 1300's.
|
The plan of the church in the village of Abbadia Isola follows the basilican style with three aisles leading to three apses. There is a beautiful central stairway on the inside, a baptismal font dating back the 1400's and a precious polyptych attributed to Sano di Pietro dated 1478, recently restored thanks to the contribution of the Pro Loco.
On the right side of the church one can admire the cloisters built in the Benedictine style dating back to 1062, used as a refuge for pilgrims on their way to Rome. The church exploited the prosperity created by the passage of the pilgrims as they travelled along the Via Francigena, and it prospered up until the 14th Century when it suffered a period of decline, and the structure was used for agricultural purposes to the beginning of the 1900's. What was once the cellar, today is used as the Tourist Information Office while a large area of the building will be completely renovated for use as a permanent cultural centre for the Via Francigena plus a museum and exhibition area.
|
|
|
|
