THE TOUR OF THE 7 CHURCHES
THE ORATORY OF SAINTS LAWRENCE AND BARBARA
The oratory of Saints Lawrence and Barbara in Castelnuovo d’Elsa is a Catholic place of worship that belongs to Volterra diocese.
The Medieval edifice is in the central square of the village, where cultural initiatives have place all over the year.
The church, entirely made of bricks, dates back to 1300.
The bell tower has recently been restored after an earthquake that caused a few damages in 2016.
The simple architectural shape is adorned with a frame decoration while the facade is embellished with a pointed arch and a rose window above the door.
A unique central nave, covered with trusses that ends with a rectangular apse, makes the indoor.
Paolo Schiavo, a Florentine painter collaborator of Masolino, frescoed the bottom wall behind the altar with the “Crucifixion”.
Into the recess below the fresco it is possible to admire a work by Alessandro Baldovinetti created between 1450 and 1460.
The panel illustrates the enthroned Madonna and Child, Saints Lawrence and Barbara, St. Gregory the Great Magno and St. James Apostle.
On the left side of the board, the painter portrayed the commissioner.
On the right side of the wall, there is a serena stone tabernacle that illustrates Salviati’s family emblem, a prominent Florentine family.
It conserves St Barbara’s finger remain as she is the protector of Castelnuovo d’Elsa.
