San Galgano

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Tuscany - Italy

The abbey of Saint Galgano rise in the valley of the Merse River, between the medieval villages of Chiusdino and Monticiano, in the province of Siena. The original nucleus of the monastic complex Cistercian of Saint Galgano (Galgano Guidotti 1148 - 1181) is constituted by the hermitage of Montesiepi, built in Roman style as mausoleum of the Saint between the 1182 and the 1185.

Its greater particularity is the so-called the “Rotunda of Saint Galgano” with a unique, for the constructions of that time, plan. It encloses, beyond to the tomb of the saint, the famous rock with the sword. Although at a first look it can seem an emulation of ancient Etruscan tombs of Populonia, Vetulonia and Volterra, the architect responsible of its construction inspired itself to Castel Sant’Angelo and the Pantheon of Rome.

Saint Galgano (Galgano Guidotti: 1148 - 1181) is a Catholic saint from Tuscany. He was born in Chiusdino, in the modern province of Siena, from Guidotto and Dionigia. His alleged date of death is December 3, 1181, now celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church, but other scholars assign it to November 30, 1180.