Eremo di San Leonardo al Lago

About the museum

The hermitage stands along one of the routes of the Via Francigena, among holm oak and oak woods, at Santa Colomba, and takes its name from the lake that once surrounded it, drained in the 18th century. The first certain records of a hermit community date from 1112, but archaeological excavations in 1975–80 revealed an earlier presence, with a cistern in the courtyard and a cave beneath the church. In 1239 it passed to the Augustinians, and in 1250 it was united with the nearby hermitage of San Salvatore di Lecceto; the Blessed Agostino Novello, who died in 1309, spent his last years here, and the site became a place of pilgrimage.

In 1366 the complex was fortified to shelter the population of Santa Colomba in time of war: stretches of walls and two towers remain, one round and one square. The monastery, with a quadrangular plan and buildings around the cloister, prospered thanks to donations and to the support of the Ospedale di Santa Maria della Scala and the Republic of Siena. It was suppressed in 1783 and bought by the State in 1957.

The Gothic church, with a single nave of three bays, contains in the choir a fresco cycle with the Storie della Vergine, painted between 1360 and 1370 by the Sienese painter Lippo Vanni. In the former refectory, on the ground floor, is a Crucifixion covering an entire wall, attributed to Giovanni di Paolo, dated around 1445 and considered one of the masterpieces of 15th-century Sienese painting. The site is one of the seats of the Pinacoteca nazionale di Siena.

Highlights

• Frescoes by Lippo Vanni with the Storie della Vergine (1360–1370)
• Crucifixion by Giovanni di Paolo in the former refectory, c. 1445
• Gothic single-nave church of the 14th century
• Walls and towers of 1366 and the cloister
• Location on the Via Francigena in the woods

Permanent exhibition

• Eremo di San Leonardo al Lago – Visit to the church with the frescoes by Lippo Vanni and to the former refectory with the Crucifixion by Giovanni di Paolo.

Operated by

Pinacoteca nazionale di Siena (Ministero della Cultura)

Visitors per year

approx. 1,867

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The site is partly accessible to people with disabilities; for information on access to the spaces you can write to mn-si.comunicazione@cultura.gov.it.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The hermitage lies along the Via Francigena, in the woods of Santa Colomba; on foot it can be reached by a circular walk of about 4 km (around an hour and a half) towards the Canale del Granduca, organised for events.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit