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Country: Italy (12)
Location Info:  City: Siena  Province/State: Tuscany
Idea About: place (99)
Type of Travel: art and culture (37) | history (63)
Features: pilgrimage (24) | ruin (26) | sacred place and sanctuary (40)
Recommended for: family (60) | senior (53) | single (48) | student (49)
Budget: budget (80) | mainstream (85) | expensive (42)
Region: Western Europe (47)

San Galgano Abbey (Abbazia di San Galgano) is located about 19 miles (30 kilometers) west of Siena, near the border with the province of Grosseto and two small villages Monticiano and Chiusdino. This is the area of Val di Merse, densely populated, rich in churches and castles, villages, convents and monasteries also known for its unspoiled nature and the pristine beauty of Tuscan hills and valleys.

The Abbey of San Galgano for centuries was an important road center and reference point for travelers, pilgrims and people of all kinds. Two roads important in the past for the economic and political life of Tuscany run through the Abbey. One of them is the Massetana Romana - goes from Siena to the sea, and another is Maremmana Road that goes from Grosseto to the central regions of Tuscany.

Abbazia di San Galgano was named after Galgano Guidotti, who was declared Saint by Pope Lucius III In 1185. Son of Guido and Dionysus Galgano, he was born in 1148 in Chiusdino, a small village perched on a hill not far from the Abbey. The story has it that in his youth Galgano was violent, abusive and like other knights of that century, proud and arrogant. With the passage of time Galgano began to realize the uselessness of his lifestyle. Feeling the agony of not having a purpose in life Galgano abandoned his world and committed himself to a life of hermitage and remorse. As a sign of refusal from any violence he stuck his sword in a rock with the intention of using it as a cross to pray instead of a weapon. Galgano died on December 3, 1181. In 1185 he was declared Saint by Pope Lucius III.

After his death between 1182 and 1185 the church in Romanesque style was built on the place of his hermitage. It is known as Capella di Monte Siepi (Chapel of Montesiepi) which attracted a lot of pilgrims. Capella became a part of Abbazia di San Galgano built by French Cistercian monks who were very popular in Sienna. The construction of the Abbey started in 1218 and in 1288 it was consecrated. The plan of San Galgano Abby represents a cross and it considered to be the first sheer Gothic style Abbey in Tuscany. Later the architecture of San Galgano became a model for the Sienna Cathedral. Decline of San Galgano Abbey began In 1348, after bubonic plague took its toll on the region. After years of neglect, the structure failed to resist the forces of nature without due care and in 1550 first, the roof and than, in 18th century, the bell tower of the Abbey collapsed. Nowadays, after a thorough restoration, you can enjoy the facade and the walls of Abbazia di San Galgano .

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