PIENZA, DIOCESE OF — A diocese united with that of Chiusi, immediately subject to the Holy See, belongs to the conciliar region of Etruria; it comprises 5 communes in the province of Siena. It has a population of 30,282 inhabitants, distributed among 36 parishes and 6 rural vicariates.
Of the temple, of which he had been an enthusiastic admirer, Pius II issued a bull of excommunication against anyone who should dare in the future to deface it in any way. Unfortunately, the haste of the construction prevented Rossellino from ensuring the stability of the foundations, which gave way in the apse area even during the construction: thus Gregory XIII on 1 March 1583 had to revoke the bull of Pius II. Over the centuries various works have been carried out to consolidate the apse. The most important were those begun on 10 September 1911 and completed in 1934, which ensured the stability of the church and restored its original beauty. To the right of the Cathedral stands the Papal Palace, inspired by the Rucellai Palace of L. B. Alberti in Florence, and which is Rossellino’s masterpiece. On the Piazza, together with the Cathedral and the Papal Palace, stand the Bishop’s Palace, a pre-existing Gothic building adapted to the new style by Cardinal Borgia (later Alexander VI), and, on an Ionic portico, the Town Hall, elegant in its austere grandeur; further on is the Ammannati Palace. To the left of the Cathedral, near the slender octagonal spired bell tower, is the rectory, with its small but rich museum, where one may admire the famous ciborium, rich Flemish tapestries, choir books, panels by Sano di Pietro, Bartolo di Fredi, Sassetta, Matteo di Giovanni, Giovanni di Paolo and Vecchietta (whose masterpiece, The Assumption, is in the Cathedral). Attached to the museum is a fine archaeological room of excavated objects.
In the vicinity are of interest the former monastery of S. Anna in Camprena, with the earliest frescoes by Sodoma, the Castle of Spedaletto (15th century), and Monticchiello for its historical and artistic importance. — See pl. XC.