|
Fontenuova
The Sanctuary of Santa Maria in Fontenuova is the heart and soul of the town.
In 1573, on the spot where the Sanctuary was later built, the image of the Holy Virgin appeared to a peasant girl who had lost her flock. A few years later, in 1602, in that very same spot a miraculous spring suddenly spouted and its pure waters helped the local people escape a long period of tremendous drought that had strained them. This miraculous event spurred Ferdinando I de’ Medici to have a church erected there to pay tribute to the Holy Virgin. Precious waters still flow from the five fountains built inside the crypt. The religious building is surrounded by an elegant vestibule decorated by Giovanni da Sangiovanni, and its interiors are embellished by several works dating back to the 17th century, including an ancient organ restored in 1860 by the Tronci artisan workshop, based in Pistoia and specialized in organs.
Fontenuova soon became a renowned place of worship, so much so that it was necessary to build a shelter for pilgrims in its neighborhood: the Osteria dei Pellegrini (The Pilgrim Inn). The town developed around these two buildings, and expanded as far as the Fattorie Granducali Medicee (Medici Grand Duchy farming estates) at the borders of the Padule di Fucecchio (Fucecchio Marshes), which was later declared a natural reserve.
Information
Info Point - Municipality of Monsummano |
Piazza Giusti 313
51016
Monsummano Terme (PT)
Ph +39 0572 954412
Fax +39 0572 955308 |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
Home
