MONTEOLIVETO MAGGIORE, ABBAZIA di. — The great cenobium of M. M. presents itself to the visitor in picturesque fashion, with a complex of terracotta buildings amid groups of cypresses on steep slopes of clayey soil: the Sienese “crete.”
It is reached through an entrance surmounted by a tower. Restored in the last century, this is adorned with two glazed terracottas, one representing La Vergine and the other S. Benedetto, works from the Della Robbia school.
The present church, begun in place of an older one toward the end of the 14th century, was roofed in 1417 and consecrated in 1467. The architect G. Antinori restored it (1772–1778): he transformed the interior in Baroque style, replaced the old square-plan presbytery with a larger polygonal one, and raised at the crossing of the nave and transept a dome whose forms recall Guarini. Inside the church are several canvases by Francesco Vanni and Jacopo Ligozzi, a highly venerated 14th-century wooden Crucifix, and the celebrated choir with inlaid work, executed for the most part (1503–1505) by fra Giovanni da Verona, with the lectern by fra Raffaele da Brescia (1520). The sacristy preserves fine 15th-century choir stalls. Although built between 1463 and 1467, the bell tower still displays Gothic forms.
The monastery is arranged around three cloisters built in several phases during the 15th century. The walls of the main cloister are adorned with a famous cycle of frescoes illustrating the life of s. Benedetto. Nine of them were executed by Luca Signorelli between 1497 and 1498, twenty-five by G. A. Bazzi, called il Sodoma, between 1505 and 1508, and one, later still, by B. Neroni, called il Riccio. Other frescoes by Sodoma are found in the cenobium. Two, representing Jesus bound to the column and Jesus beneath the Cross, adorn the walls of the passage arch between the cloister and the Chapter House; one depicts the Coronation of Mary on the wall of the staircase landing.
Among the monastery’s rooms, the refectory, the large definitorio, the small definitorio, and above all the library deserve mention: it is a beautiful three-naved hall with architecture by fra Giovanni da Verona, who decorated the door leaves with rich carvings. He is also credited with the execution of the extremely fine wooden candelabrum and of a cabinet with doors and inlaid work, preserved in the room together with a collection of illuminated books.
Within the monastery precinct are several chapels from various periods and the “Peschiera,” a work by G. B. Pelori (1533). — Vedi tav. XCIV.