Siena - Sanctuary of St. Catherine, San Domenico, and the Duomo

April 21, 2014

We got up early and checked out of our apartment in Rome. We walked a few blocks with all of our luggage to where all the taxis were lined up. The taxi took us back to the airport so that we could get our rental car. We got a tiny little Ford SUV which was perfect for us and fit all the luggage. I did not want to make the mistake I made in France. Ha!  

We punched in the address into the Garmin and we were off. Siena here we come! It look a little over 2 hours to reach Siena and paying many tolls! Our hotel was located in the city just off the main piazza. The lady told us to drive into the city to drop off our luggage and then park on the outside of the city walls. Joe was really nervous about this because of our previous experience driving into Siena back in 2002. We drove into the city walls of Siena and we honestly could not figure how to get out or find a gate where the car would fit to get outside the walls. Looking back at it...it was pretty funny! Anyhoo...we followed the lady's directions perfectly and we dropped off all the luggage. Then Joe and T went to go park the car. The car park where they were supposed to park was full so Joe had to figure out how to get to the other one (which meant driving around Siena's outside the walls). It was one of those frustrating parking moments. Once that was all settled we got a quick lunch and we were ready to start exploring Siena.

Siena is a medieval town that was once Florence's archrival. It was a major banking and trade center, and military power. It had a population of 60K which was bigger then Paris. This was in the late 1200's-early 1300's. In 1348, the bubonic plague swept through Europe, and it cut their population by more then a third. Siena never recovered from this. Siena is situated above three hills and is Italy's ultimate "hill town". It is a well preserved medieval town with beautiful streets. K was so excited to be in Siena. She has been saying for many years that she has wanted to visit here - this is because her patron saint is St. Catherine of Siena. 

One of the Siena gate's - Joe had to drive the car out of
here to get to the parking lot

We first went to the Sanctuary of St. Catherine. This is a peaceful site that was Catherine's home. Pilgrims have visited this place since 1464. 

Entrance to Sanctuary of St. Catherine

Original well from the 1400's

St. Catherine of Siena

These was once the kitchen area of the Benincasa Family
which is now a small chapel 

This was St. Catherine's cell that is behind wrought-iron doors.
They had many personal items from St. Catherine here. 

St. Catherine's shrine

View from the courtyard 

Courtyard

This is the oldest and most famous fountain in Siena called Fontebranda.
It was actually cited in Dante's Inferno (The Divine Comedy). 

Church of San Domenico

This is a huge brick church that is home to the Dominicans and St. Catherine's head...yes you read that right! The children were a little creeped out by the whole thing. It is a little disturbing I guess. 

The interior is very very plain

St. Catherine's head is in an ornate reliquary. Also her right thumb
is in a reliquary to the right side. 

Why is her head in Siena?
St. Catherine died in Rome, at the young age of 33. Her hometown Siena wanted to have her body. When they realized they would not be able to smuggle the whole body past the guards in Rome, they took only her head, hidden in a paper bag. Unfortunately, they were stopped by the guards. The thieves prayed to St. Catherine to protect them, and when the guards looked in the bag, they saw not the small withered head, but hundreds of rose petals. When they returned to Siena, the head had re-materialized, St. Catherine's final miracle. Her head was placed in a reliquary, where it remains today, near her thumb. 

the thumb

Wine and Pasta

Tuscan streets in Siena

Maybe I can photoshop myself into this picture? (and open Timothy's eyes!)

The Duomo sits on Siena's highest point in the town. This is a shrine to the Virgin Mary though surprisingly very secular inside. The interior is a Renaissance style of striped columns, marble inlays, Michelangelo statues, and Bernini sculptures. 

The Duomo dates back to 1215

Looking down towards the Main Altar

Chapel of the Madonna del Voto - this was designed for Pope Alexander VII. The Sienese
people come here to pray to Mary. In thanks, they give offerings of silver hearts and
medallions. They all hang on the wall as you exit the chapel. 

The dome sits on a 12-sided base, but its "coffered" ceiling is actually a painted illusion. 

This altar was designed for the tomb of Pope Pius III who was born in Siena. It was commissioned when he was Cardinal, but when he later became Pope he was buried in the Vatican. 

This is an octagonal Carrara marble pulpit. There is so much detail in it. L asked
Joe why there was a carousel in the church? 

This is looking at the back of the Duomo

some of the marble inlay floors - Slaughter of the Innocents

This is Donatello's St. John the Baptist statue

 Siena had such a rivalry with Florence that they wanted their Duomo to be bigger. They had started on building a huge extension to the church but then the plague hit and it was never finished. As you can see in this picture some of it was filled in with brick or just left unfinished. 

Unfinished expansion to the existing Duomo