Frescoes in the the Great Cloister, Abbazia, Monteoliveto Maggiore
by Luca SIGNORELLI

The abbey of Monteoliveto Maggiore which stands atop a spur of the Crete Senese, the barren, rocky country southeast of Siena, is one of the most important and best preserved monastic complexes in southern Tuscany. It was founded by the prominent and well-to-do legal scholar Giovanni Tolomei (1272-1348), who resigned his post as podestŕ of Siena and renounced his worldly interests to take up the life of a hermit. He was joined by two other men from Siena, Ambrogio Piccolomini and Patrizio Patrizi. The three built themselves shelters in this hostile landscape and over the years still others were attracted to the fledgling ascetic community. On March 26, 1319, the Bishop of Arezzo, Guido Tarlati, confirmed the congregation as a new religious order.

The abbey is constructed entirely of brick, and comprises a jumble of structures linked by three inner courtyards, or cloisters, of different sizes and with different functions. The Great Cloister (Chiostro Grande) around which the more important communal spaces are disposed was constructed in stages between 1426 and 1443. The cloister was frescoed by Luca Signorelli with nine scenes on the west side (1497-99) and Sodoma with twenty-eight scenes (1505-08 and after 1513). The fresco cycle is comprised of thirty-six Scenes from the Life of St Benedict; St Benedict Presenting the Rule to the Olivetans; Man of Sorrow; Christ Carrying the Cross.

The life of St Benedict is considered as a reflection and ideal of the monastic life. The exemplary nature of the scenes presented in the cloister at Monteoliveto Maggiore gives the impression that they were deliberately selected for their bearing on life within the monastery. Virtually all of the community's activities and concerns are reflected in them. The ultimate textual source for the Benedict cycle was the biography written by Gregory the Great in about 593-94, which tells the story of the important monastic founder in thirty-eight chapter.

Preview Picture Data File Info Comment
The Great Cloister
1497-99
Fresco
Abbazia, Monteoliveto Maggiore

1000*1204
True Color
174 Kb



Life of St Benedict, Scene 23: Benedict Drives the Devil out of a Stone
1499-1502
Fresco
Abbazia, Monteoliveto Maggiore

900*1150
True Color
174 Kb



Life of St Benedict, Scene 25: Benedict Tells Two Monks What They Have Eaten
1499-1502
Fresco
Abbazia, Monteoliveto Maggiore

900*1094
True Color
160 Kb



Life of St Benedict, Scene 27: Benedict Benedict Discovers Totila's Deceit
1499-1502
Fresco
Abbazia, Monteoliveto Maggiore

1000*1018
True Color
205 Kb



Life of St Benedict, Scene 28: Benedict Recognizes and Receives Totila
1499-1502
Fresco
Abbazia, Monteoliveto Maggiore

1000*1017
True Color
184 Kb




Summary of paintings by Luca Signorelli
Frescoes
Frescoes in Orvieto | Frescoes in the Sistine Chapel
Frescoes in Loreto | Frescoes in Monteoliveto
Panel paintings
Altarpiece in Cortona | Various paintings