back | forward ...Saint John's castle on the bridge

Well, you should know…

Poggibonsi castle's chapel and its icons

… the religious duties, those different activities run within the daily routine of the castle, had the same times and rules of those run within monasteries and convents' churches of non military religious orders. The pilgrim who reached the castles, could, if he liked, follow the religious duties, but, as in many enclosed orders of nowadays, monks' clusters were separated and the entrance was forbidden for those devotes who lived outside the monastery community. Usually there was a seclusing area between the monks' cluster and the devotes' one. In Poggibonsi's church there are still signs of the previous seclused area which was, indeed, indicated by a the different level of the pavement so that the two parts of the church weren't at the same ground as was of a different ground the kind of devotion to God. To get out too there were two different gates along with the main entrance. One gate was used by the pilgrims to get in the portion of church they occupied and to reach directly the world outside the castle, after the last prayers before the departure. The other gate was situated near the altar and was used by the monks to get in the church from the inner courtyard and perform the religious duties. Poggibonsi castle's church has been built by travertino stone, according to the romanic architecture design, which was prevalent in that period in our territories. It was custom in those times that the builder of the church tried to express a sacred imagine of Earth and Eden as they were thought to be. For this reason, in a church's stones, many small details depicts symbols about religious concepts concerning human condition and the world according Christian doctrine.

the window on the church façade

This symbolic language was understandable only for those few learned people who knew these concepts and very could reach the humble and simple pilgrim. Very few other than the knights monks themselves could appreciate, for instance, the meaning of this detail in Poggibonsi's castle church: on the façade at the top of the main entrance a window appears with sides in the shape of a saw with toothed edges creating five empty spaces. This window meaning isn't clear: it is supposed that in December, when at the sunset the sun appears right to the façade, this window allow the rays to get inside the church in a definite place which had a definite meaning. Moreover the five spaces symbolised most probably the human being, which in that eve was identified by the number five. They though human being was composed by five parts equal in height, width, with five sense and extremities. The window so would be a metaphor for the human being and the new life one could reach following the church. This window could have had many other meanings of course: who knows how many other symbols where kept all over the building!


a cosmic man representetion and the façade window


The façade window, then, depicts the cosmic human being. This was possible because in those times the world was fulfilled of religious meanings and religion had a very different role from what it has nowadays. People used to do many things useless in our mentality just in name of a religious feeling. Those who used to do pilgrimages and often used these castles to rest and find peace, weren't obliged to pay neither felt to be obliged by the hospitality, because everybody knew that those who gave help did it for their own souls benefit. Quite often someone left an offering: that too was done to clean some soul's sins or to do something good to someone having received good previously from someone else. The aim was to help those who were in need in that moment. Behaving so the pilgrim could leave in a light mood to reach Rome, Santiago or Jereturn to the top

Return to the top

Site map


Versione italiana

Festivals' Bag

.. if you are invited you can do as I do: I don't like to go with empty hands. But I am not for flowers or chocolates... The Chopping Board Basket If you like the sliced salami and you are curious of try them you can choose this beautiful basket. EUR 64,80 USD 69,40

Special stuff

.. if you want to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, or something to be forbidden of.. Palio's Plates This is the plate of the contradas of the Palio di Siena. The Contradas are seventeen and these plates are all beautiful, but don't say it to the men belonging to the contradas, the contradaioli..

Special stuff

.. if you want to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, or something to be forbidden of.. The Palio of Siena's Mugs The 2nd of July has been the Palio in honour of the Madonna of Provenzano, here the mugs to drink a toast to the health of this beautiful festival and to Siena!

Azienda Agricola La Selva

If you like to know a winery where the wine is made as we used in the good old days, then you can come to Montespertoli, from my friend George.. La Selva's Products

Best Stuff

...if you like something good you need.. I cantucci col vinsanto Here "cantuccio" means little corner and the cantucci are little pieces made of this good almonds paste. They are dry biscuits, very good to soak in a good vinsanto.

Azienda Agricola La Selva

If you like to taste all the good products of this beautiful company, this is the basket you need.. Here our products