The Church
The church entrance is preceded, in the Chiostro Grande, by a frescoes with Jesus Carrying the Cross, Jesus at the Column and St. Benedict Giving the Rule to the Founders of Monte Oliveto, also by Sodoma. The church's atrium is on the site of a previous church (1319), showing on the walls frescoes with Father Hermits in the Desert and St. Benedict's miracle, both by an unknown Sienese artists. In a niche is the "Madonna with Child Enthroned" by Fra Giovanni da Verona.
The church as nave on the Latin cross plan, with a luminous interior. It was renovated in Baroque style in 1772 by Giovanni Antinori. The main attraction is the wooden inlaid choir by Giovanni da Verona, executed in 1503-1505. It is one of the most outstanding examples of tarsia in Europe. The church houses also a canvas by Jacopo Ligozzi (Assumption, 1598), behind the high altar, and a 14th-century polychrome wooden Crucifix, in the Sacrament Chapel. The sacristy has an inlaid ceiling dating to 1417.
Read more about this topic: Territorial Abbey Of Monte Oliveto Maggiore
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