Sant'Agostino, Gothic church in Colle di Val d'Elsa, Italy.
Sant'Agostino is a church with a Latin cross plan and three naves divided by Tuscan columns carrying round arches; the central nave has a barrel vault with lunettes, while each side nave has seven bays with transverse barrel vaults. The facade stops at the architrave of the Gothic portal, above which sits a small circular rose window. The neo-Gothic bell tower, designed by Antonio Salvetti in the 20th century, stands along the left flank with single, double and triple windows on its three levels.
Construction of the church began in 1305 and it underwent major renovation in 1531 under architect Antonio da Sangallo the Elder. These rebuilding efforts shaped the building's current structure and character.
At the entrance to the right nave stands the Cini family's Baroque altar, framed by a gilded wooden aedicula holding a copy of Carlo Dolci's Holy Face. The same chapel contains Taddeo di Bartolo's quattrocento Madonna and Child. Further on, the Bardi altar in pietra serena keeps Giovan Battista Pozzo's Martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria.
Enter from the front to best experience the interior layout, where the rows of columns help orient you through the different sections. Take time to examine the column details and vaulting as you move through the space.
The apse's rear wall holds a tall Gothic bifora that was later walled in, a blocked opening visible from outside. The facade stops at the portal's architrave, leaving the light stone blockwork and the small circular rose window as the only completed upper elements.
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