Abbazia della Santissima Trinità di Spineta, Romanesque monastery in Sarteano, Italy.
Abbazia della Santissima Trinità di Spineta is a Romanesque monastery in Sarteano with a single-nave church featuring wooden roof supports. The wide transept is covered by barrel vaults and terminates in three apses capped by curved vault sections.
The monastery was founded in 1085 by Willa, widow of Count Pepone Manenti, with Vallombrosan monks as its first managers. Cistercian monks took over operations in 1627 and oversaw the community thereafter.
The name Spineta derives from the thorn bushes that once covered the land, reflecting its medieval origins. Visitors today experience how the building's layout and structure reveal its role as a sanctuary in earlier times.
The site is now open for cultural events and ceremonies following major restoration that preserved its original character. Visitors should expect uneven floors in older sections and limited light within the vaulted areas.
The building displays carved stone animals, including a four-legged creature in the transept lunette and two relief beasts on the limestone surface. These surprising details suggest the craftsmen wove natural forms into the spiritual design intentionally.
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