Abbazia di San Pietro

Chapels off the Left Aisle

The entrances to these three chapels are on the left.

Cappella del Sacramento (1760-3)

The original chapel here was built in 1643 to house the highly venerated Madonna del Giglio (see below).  It was demolished in 1760 to make way for the present chapel, at which point the Madonna del Giglio was installed as its altarpiece.

Madonna del Giglio (1433)

The detached fresco of the Madonna and Child with a lily was painted originally for the chapel of the Villa di Valliano, outside Porta San Girolamo by an artist known as Giovanni Spagna (not to be confused with the later Giovanni di Pietro, called Lo Spagna).  The monks of San Pietro acquired the chapel in 1632. 

In 1643, Pope Urban VIII ordered that the fresco should be detached and brought to San Pietro because its chapel was in bad repair.  He commissioned Sassoferrata to make a copy to replace it in its original location.  (This copy is now in the Cappella Vibi - see below).

Panels by Giorgio Vasari (1566)

Giorgio Vasari describes in his book how he painted three panels for the refectory of San Pietro when he was en route for Florence, having kissed the feet of the newly-elected Pope Pius V in Rome.  These panels, which are now in this chapel, depict:

  • a miracle of Elisha (on the right wall);

  • a miracle of St Benedict (also on the right wall); and

  • the feast at Cana (on the left wall.

These subjects, which all involve miracles that occurred during meals, were of course appropriate for the original location in the refectory.

SS Peter and Paul (1825)

Abbot Vincenzo Bini commissioned this panel from Jean-Batiste Wicar in 1825, just before he left Perugia to take up his post as Procurator General of the Cassinese Congregation.  [The panel was originally placed on the altar so that part of the fresco of the Madonna del Giglio (see above) could be seen through an annular opening between the standing figures of the two saints.  Where is it now ??]

Cappella Ranieri (1506)

Francesco di Guido da Settignano built this chapel for Donna Leonarda Olivieri Baglioni. It subsequently passed to the Ranieri family.

Agony in the Garden (17th century)

This panel, which is attributed to Guido Reni, is on the left wall of the chapel.



Cappella Vibi (1473)

Francesco di Guido da Settignano re-modelled this chapel in 1506 by  for Baglione di Ugolino dei Montevibiani.  The contract specified that this re-modelling was to be the design of what is now Cappella Ranieri, which Francesco di Guido had built for Donna Leonarda .

Marble altarpiece (1473)

This gilded marble altarpiece is attributed to Mino da Fiesole.  The inscription records the date and the name of the donor, Baglione dei Montevibiani.  The central panel contains the door of a tabernacle with a relief of the Pietà.   The baby Jesus stands below it, flanked by angels.  SS Jerome and John the Baptist are modelled in deep relief in fictive niches to the sides. 


Frescoes (1521)

Giovanni Battista Caporali executed all of the (now very damaged) frescoes in this chapel, including the Annunciation in the lunette above the altar.

Madonna of the Lilies (1643)

As mentioned above, Pope Urban VIII commissioned Giovanni Battista Salvi (Sassoferrato) to make this copy of the fresco of the Madonna del Giglio for the chapel of the Villa di Valliano, outside Porta San Girolamo when the original was moved to San Pietro.  This copy is now on the right wall of this chapel.

Return to the walk around the church interior.