Opening hours the hermitage is run by Polo Museale della Toscana
Contacts Tel. +39 0577 317021 - +39 0577 248111 ; email:
Address Strada dell' Osteriaccia n° 4, 53035 Monteriggioni SI
San Leonardo al Lago is located in a wood near Pian del Lago and it was in origin a hermitage.
In the eleventh century there was already a religious community , as evidenced by excavations carried out between 1975 and 1980. A cave below the church that still exists today was the centre for religious activities. Hermits probably lived in caves and huts in this area as early as the tenth century.
The hermitage has been altered over the centuries. In 1366 the city of Siena fortified the monastery in order to shelter the neighbouring populations in case of need. In the nineteenth century the aristocratic family De Vecchi bought and brought further changes and restoration to the monastic complex.
The frescoes that have survived to the present day are: ‘’Il Ciclo nel Coro’’ made by Lippo Vanni and ‘’La Crocifissione nel Refettorio’’ made by Giovanni di Paolo. However, according to the sources, the cloister was also frescoed as well as the underground chapel, the Blessed Agostino Novello’s place of worship.
In 1783 the hermitage was suppressed and affiliated to the monastery of Lecceto.
