A document issued by King Liutprand in 814 contains the earliest probable historical reference to San Lorenzo in San Pietro in Montalcino, then recorded as San Pietro in Montalcino in Creta. Formerly dependent on the Abbey of Sant'Antimo, the site was used from 1368 by the Compagnia dei Disciplinati, who added the Annunziata chapel — visible today only from the outside — and raised the building height. Following the guild's suppression on May 1, 1785 by Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo of Tuscany, the building in the Pianello district became the parish church of San Lorenzo.
What to see
The tall stone façade features a gabled roof, a bell-gable, and a travertine portal reached via two opposing flights of steps. A central circular opening contains a stone bust of Saint Peter, likely an 18th-century copy of a medieval work. Inside, the single-nave interior was altered during the 17th century with Baroque altars. The marble main altar was completed around 1665 by the Sienese stonecutter Francesco Costantini and Lorenzo Tozzi, likely a Montalcino native. The church houses three altarpieces by Ventura Salimbeni: Christ Handing the Keys to Saint Peter (1599) on the main altar, Christ Nailed to the Cross (1604) on the left altar, and the Glorification of the Eucharist (1600) on the right altar. The latter depicts the Trinity with a celestial sphere displaying the Sun, Moon, and scepters of power over Creation, a standard 17th-century motif often misidentified by mystery writers as an artificial satellite.
Visiting
The interior allows visitors to view the Baroque single nave, the 1665 marble high altar, and Salimbeni's trilogy of paintings. On the exterior, observers can examine the medieval stone wall section, the elevated upper portion, and the remaining outer outline of the Annunziata chapel.
Our editors' tip
When viewing Salimbeni's Glorification of the Eucharist on the right altar, pay close attention to the sphere between Christ and God the Father to see the Sun, the Moon, and the scepter handles that characterize classic 17th-century Trinity iconography.
