A TREASURE KEPT INSIDE THE CITY WALLS

Editorial Staff

The images represented on the pages of the calendar are taken from the series of frescoes representing “St Anthony’s life” on the vault of the Chapel of St. Anthony adjacent to the church of St. Francis built in the fourteenth century in Grosseto. The construction of the chapel started in 1641; on the cartouche painted on the back wall we can read that the payment for the work done by Francesco and Antonio Nasini was made by “St Anthony’s Company”, an association composed by men and women.

The Nasini were the progenitors of a pedigree of painters native of Piancastagnaio, on the mount Amiata and they were very prolific in the province of Siena in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. They painted in many churches and monasteries mainly religious subjects with a popular style and vigorous brush strokes.

In Grosseto they were committed to paint some scenes inspired to the life of the great Portuguese Saint known as St. Anthony Thanks to the recent consolidation and restoration of the chapel the colours have regained the original splendour. We can really say that it is a treasure kept inside the walls of Grosseto and that has become more and more appreciated in recent times. Last but not least it is the only series of frescoes still existing in Grosseto.

The episodes of St. Anthony’s life talk to us about mercy, of taking care of the weaker, of contemplative prayers. In those days people prayed to live according to these values that are more and more actual nowadays!

In the month of June 2021, after ending the works of restoration of the Chapel of Saint Anthony a team created a video to display the beauty of the frescoes through the reflections of Monseigneur Rodolfo Cetoloni bishop (now emeritus) of Grosseto.

Video 1
Video 2