The Museum of Sacred Art in Peccioli was inaugurated on October 25 2009 due to the communal will of the Municipality Administration and the Parish of St. Verano, with the collaboration of the Superintendence B.A.P.S.A.E.

The Museum is hosted in the Romanesque parish church of St. Verano, inside the Chapel of the Assumption, which was built since 1580 to house a homonymous Company and which underwent a major intervention of restoration. Inside the museum you can admire the most significant works of the area, including two well-preserved examples of Tuscan painting of the 13th century: a Madonna and Child dating back to the first half of the 12th century attributed to Enrico di Tedice, called “Our Lady of Grace” for the particular devotion it has always benefitted from in the area; a reredos with “St. Nicholas and stories of his life” of the third quarter of the 13th century, attributed to Michele di Baldovino. This last panel originated a misunderstanding that has continued up to the present day: donated in 1881 by Giuseppe Toscanelli, it has an inscription on the back in which a saint is referred to as “St. Verano abbot, patron of Peccioli”. The “mistake” between the two saints arose from its strong resemblance to another reredos depicting St. Verano and stories of his life, now exhibited in the Brera Museum in Milan: the latter was originally kept in the parish church of Peccioli in all likelihood and it was then stolen from it during the 19th century.

Inside the Museum are also a wooden crucifix dating back to the fourth decade of the 14th century related to the sculpture school of Siena under Giovanni Pisano; a Sacred Conversation by Neri di Bicci from 1463; an Assumption with Angels and Saints by Giovanni Bilivert dated 1628. A canvas depicting St. Peter attributed to Giovan Battista Piazzetta deserves a particular mention: it was donated to the museum by Mrs. Rosanna Merlini, according to the will of her husband, on the occasion of its inauguration.

There is a number of sacred goldsmithing works in the collection: we can list a chalice from the mid-15th century attributed to goldsmith workshop in Siena close to Sano di Pietro.

Opening hours:

Saturdays: 10:00 – 13:00

Sundays: 15:00 – 18:00

Closed on New Year’s Day, May 1st, August 15th, Christmas and in the afternoons on New Year’s Eve and Christmas Eve.

Tickets

Free entry

For schools students and for groups of visitors it is possible to book private guided tours independently from the opening hours. They are requested to contact the administrative office of the Foundation Peccioliper (fax +39 0587 670831).

Contacts

Museum of Sacred Art

Piazza Fra’ Domenico da Peccioli, at the parish church of St. Verano

56037 Peccioli (Pi)

Tel. +39 0587 672158

Tel. +39 0587 672877

info@fondarte.peccioli.net

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