San Lucchese, Franciscan convent and minor basilica in Poggibonsi, Italy
San Lucchese is a Gothic Franciscan convent and minor basilica perched on a hill above Poggibonsi, featuring a single-nave church, multiple chapel apses, and a cloister. The complex displays frescoed walls and holds artworks from different periods spanning centuries.
The original church Santa Maria in Camaldo was founded in 1010 and transferred to the Franciscan order in 1220 when Francis of Assisi visited the area. This shift established it as a major center for Franciscan spirituality in the region.
The name honors Saint Lucchese, a local merchant whose spiritual transformation is remembered here. The church serves today as a place where visitors experience the connection between his former merchant life and his later religious devotion.
The convent welcomes visitors and remains an active parish church for locals. The hilltop location makes it easy to spot from town, and the site is best reached on foot to take in the views and the peaceful surroundings.
The convent holds the relics of Saint Lucchese, a merchant who renounced his trade and became the first Franciscan tertiary, dying in 1251. His unusual path from business to holiness remains a surprising centerpiece of this site's identity.
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