Santa Margherita, Minor basilica in Cortona, Italy.
Santa Margherita is a minor basilica in Cortona, a hilltop town in Tuscany, with a 19th-century facade featuring three doorways and a medieval rose window. The building sits near the top of the old town, close to the Girifalco Fortress, and overlooks the rooftops and the surrounding countryside.
After the death of Margaret of Cortona in 1297, a new church was built on the site of the older San Basilio, with architect Giovanni Pisano involved in the early work. The building was rebuilt and reshaped several times over the centuries and received its current appearance in the 19th century.
Inside, four plaster statues by Giovanni and Amalia Dupré represent San Francesco, San Ludovico, Santa Elisabetta, and Santa Chiara, placed along the nave. The soft light that enters through the stained glass windows gives the interior a meditative quality that many visitors find moving.
The basilica can only be reached on foot via steep and winding lanes through the old town, so sturdy shoes are a good idea. The walk is easier in the morning when the lanes are cooler and less crowded.
The church preserves a medieval Way of the Cross that runs along the climb up to it, said to be one of the oldest still in use in Tuscany. Each of its stations is carved in stone and set into the wall, giving them a solidity that many similar routes have lost over time.
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