THE PARISH CHURCH
LIFE OF SAINT PETRONILLA
SAINT PETRONILLA PARISH
Entrusted to the Congregation of the Sons
of Holy Mary Immaculate
The construction of the church and adjacent
convent began in 1622 under the Capuchin Franciscans.The first stone was placed on 18 October 1622,
feast day of St. Luke. Together with Alessandro
Petrucci, Archbishop of Siena, there were also the
fifth Grand Duke of Tuscany, 12-year-old Ferdinand
II of the Medici, his mother, the Regent Maria Magdalena of Austria and his paternal grandmother
Christine of Lorraine.
On 19 September 1632, Ascanio Piccolomini
d’Aragon, the new Archbishop of Siena, celebrated
the solemn rite of consecration of the church, dedicating it to the Most Holy Conception of Immaculate
Mary.
This title will be used until 1866, the year in
which the convent and the church were closed during
the historic suppression of convents.
The church was reopened to worship on 8 December
1895.
When the old parish church of Saint
Petronilla, situated in Piazzetta 3 Luglio, had to be
deconsecrated and demolished, the current church
took on the title of Saint Petronilla.
Since 1 August 1986, the Parish has been
entrusted to the Sons of Holy Mary Immaculate, a
religious congregation founded by the Venerable
Giuseppe Frassinetti.
The church was embellished
from the 17th century on by numerous works of art, which are described in this pamphlet.
(from: “Eventi storici e vicende dalle origini della parrocchia ai giorni
nostri”).
Apocryphal information indicates that Petronilla
was so beautiful that when she
was barely 10 years of age a
wealthy man by the name of
Tolomeo asked her mother to allow him to marry her daughter.
When her mother refused, the rich
man had the girl kidnapped, but
divine will contrived that when she
arrived at Tolomeo’s home, one
side of her body was completely paralyzed. Tolomeo did
not care to have her in that condition, and had Petronilla
brought back to her family: Peter and his wife praised the
Lord for what He had done in saving them from further
suffering.
The author does not say on which day St. Petronilla died,
but the Roman Martyrology gives 31 May as her memorial feast day.
But beyond the literary sources, archeology provides some certain information. The body of St.
Petronilla was buried in the Cemetery of Domitilla, where
the holy martyrs Nereus and Achilleus were subsequently
buried.
Founded by Domitilla on one of her estates, the
cemetery was inherited by the Roman Church. The most
venerated among its sepulchres were those of Saints Nereus and Achilleus and of St. Petronilla. In the “Index of
Oil Paintings”, St. Petronilla is indicated as the
“daughter of St. Peter”, while the other Saints are simply
indicated with their names.
Hagiographers and critics agree, however, that
Peter was her father in the spiritual sense alone.
(from:”Eventi storici e vicende dalle origini della parrocchia ai giorni nostri”)
Archdiocese of
Siena - Colle di Val d’Elsa - Montalcino
Parish Priest: Fr. Claudio Giuseppone
Coadjutor Priest: Fr. Enrico Caleri
Office hours:
One hour before and after the Holy Masses and by appointment
For confessions, all day and by appointment
Tel.: 0577 280949
Holy Mass times:
Daily: 8.30 / 18.00 (summer 18.30)
Saturday evenings and Sundays: 9.00 – 11.00 – 18.00 (summer
18.30)
Email: [email protected]
www.santapetronilla.it
mobile: 339 465 0681
PAINTINGS
From rear of church, first chapel on the left
“DEATH OF ST. JOSEPH”
by Raffaello VANNI (1595-1673)
Oil on canvas
signed and dated on back: 18 March 1629
Second chapel on the left
“DEATH OF THE VIRGIN MARY”
by Astolfo PETRAZZI (Siena 1580-1653)
Oil on canvas - painted in 1633
“Compassionate donation from the Baker’s Guild”
Left wall of chapel
“Blessed Felix of Cantalice receives the Baby Jesus from
the Virgin Mary”
by Francesco NASINI (1611-1695)
and his son Antonio NASINI (1643-1715)
Oil on canvas - painted in 1679
Third chapel on the left
“DEPOSITION OF THE DEAD JESUS CHRIST”
by Giuseppe Nicola NASINI (1657-1736)
Oil on canvas - painted in 1704
“ST. FRANCIS OF PAOLA IN ECSTASY”
by Apollonio NASINI (1692-1768)
Oil on canvas - painted in 1722, restored
2000
(Gift of the Parish Priest of St. Petronilla,
Giacomo Cumini, in 1758)
“MADONNA HOLDING BABY JESUS,
WITH FOUR SAINTS”
after the manner of Francesco RUSTICI called “il Rustichino”
Oil on canvas - painted in the 17th century
In all three chapels on the left
Wooden altars carved from 1622-32
“Giovan Maria and Ven
centio BOLGI, carpenters”
In all three chapels on the right
WORKS OF ART
FRESCOES
Presbytery (sanctuary), on the left
“IMMACULATE CONCEPTION”
by Francesco GUERRINI (1768-1815)
(The Immaculate Virgin Mary with the Saints Ansano,
Catherine of Siena, Bonaventure of Bagnoregio and two
Franciscan Saints)
Oil on canvas, approx. 375 x 250 cm
Painted in Rome, and signed: “Primum opus Francisci Guerrini senensis. Romae anno 1806”.
Presbytery (sanctuary), on the right
“IMMACULATE CONCEPTION”
by Annibale MAZZUOLI (1663-1743)
(The Immaculate Virgin Mary with the Saints Ansano,
Francis of Assisi, Nicholas of Bari, Bernardino of Siena
and Catherine of Siena)
Nave
FRESCOES
by Vincenzo DEI (Livorno 1774 – Siena 1838)
Four wall frescoes about the life of St. Lawrence
of Brindisi and St. Francis, painted in the early
1800s.
Stained glass windows created by the Maestro Alberto Positano and produced in the
“Laboratorio Vetrate Artistiche Toscane” of
Siena by the Maestri stained glass producers,
the brothers Gianni and Massimo Bracciali, in
1993.
Portraying “The Annunciation, the Wedding at
Cana, the
Pentecost”
From rear of church, first chapel on the right
“CORONATION OF THE MADONNA, WITH
THE SAINTS FRANCIS OF ASSISI AND MARGARET OF ANTIOCH”
by Stefano VOLPI (Siena about 1585-1642)
Oil on canvas - painted in 1622
STATUE OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
by Conrad MORODER (Ortisei-Bolzano)
in linden wood, 145 cm, hand sculptured in 1992
Third chapel on the right
TABERNACLE
Inlaid polychromatic marble, in the form
of a temple with a gold-plated copper
door, 1692
by Francesco MAZZUOLI (1643-1692) with his
brothers Giovan Antonio, Giuseppe, Agostino
sculptors of the Opera del Duomo (Cathedral Art
Works) of Siena.
La chiesa
The holy family
Il battistero
La sede