MONTEOLIVETO MAGGIORE, ABBEY OF. – The archicenobium of M. M. presents itself to the visitor in a picturesque manner, with a complex of brick buildings amid groups of cypresses above steep slopes of clayey soil: the “crete” of Siena.
Access is gained through an entrance surmounted by a tower. This, restored in the last century, is adorned with two glazed terracottas, one representing *The Virgin* and the other *St. Benedict*, works of the school of the Della Robbia.
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 those of Guarini. Inside the church are several paintings by Francesco Vanni and Jacopo Ligozzi, a venerated wooden Crucifix from the 14th century, the celebrated stalls with inlays, 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 stalls. The bell tower, though built between 1463 and 1467, still displays Gothic forms.
The monastery extends around three cloisters built in stages during the 15th century. The walls of the great cloister are adorned with a famous cycle of frescoes illustrating the life of St. Benedict.
Monteoliveto Maggiore, Abbey of – How Benedict recognizes and welcomes Totila, fresco by L. Signorelli (1497–98). Great Cloister of the Abbey.
These 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 il Sodoma are found in the monastery. Two, representing Jesus bound to the column and Jesus under the Cross, adorn the walls of the archway 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 are to be noted the refectory, the large definitorium, the small definitorium, and above all the library, a fine three-aisled hall with architecture by Fra Giovanni da Verona, who decorated the door leaves with rich carvings. To him is also attributed the execution of the exquisite wooden candelabrum and a cupboard with panelled doors and inlays, preserved in the room along with a collection of illuminated manuscripts.
Within the monastery enclosure are found several chapels of various periods and the Pescheira, a work by G. B. Pelori (1533). V. tav. XCIV.