Temple of San Biagio, hamlet of Montepulciano (SI) - Tuscany

It rises just outside the village of Montepulciano and is one of the masterpieces of Italian Renaissance architecture, built between 1518 and 1548... #tuttitaly

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Just outside Montepulciano, we find the San Biagio temple in the middle of an extraordinary landscape, which highlights its grandeur.

This building is called a Temple because of its majesty and is one of the most significant monuments of the Renaissance. It was built on the site of an early medieval parish church, initially dedicated to Mary and later around the year 1000, in San Biagio. The saint is of Armenian origin and, due to his experience as a doctor, was consulted by the faithful for treating physical ailments.

Only ruins remained at the beginning of the 16th century, but inside was still exposed a Madonna with child and St. Francis, to whom miraculous events were attributed.

It is said that on April 23, 1518, two maidservants, Antilia and Camilla, and a peasant named Toto, passing in front of the fresco, saw that the Virgin's eyes were moving as if she were alive.

This event attracted faithful requests for restructuring. For this reason, Antonio da Sangallo, the Elder, had the task of giving new life to the church.

The Temple, both outside and inside, is entirely clad in travertine slabs, which show an amber color and which, depending on the light of the day, acquire ever different shades of color.

Inside, the only wall equipped with decorative elements is the one corresponding to the High Altar, and in the center of the dossal, there is a fresco depicting the Madonna with child and St. Francis.

Finally, in the Temple of San Biagio, we find a mixture between the artistic taste of the Renaissance and the religious devotion that led to the church's construction.

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