Tabernacolo dei Giustiziati, Religious edifice near Via Francigena in Certaldo, Italy.
The Tabernacolo dei Giustiziati is a masonry structure decorated with frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli and his workshop created between 1464 and 1467. The original building still stands near the Agliena stream, while the restored frescoes are now displayed inside the Church of Saints Thomas and Prosper in upper Certaldo.
The tabernacle was a place where people condemned to death received spiritual comfort, as Certaldo was home to the Vicar who administered justice across the Valdelsa region. The frescoes were moved to the Church of Saints Thomas and Prosper in 1957.
The name comes from the death-row inmates who received last rites here, as Certaldo was from 1415 the seat of the Florentine Vicar for the Valdelsa and Val di Pesa. The frescoes, painted by Benozzo Gozzoli's workshop, show the Annunciation and Deposition on the main facade, the Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian on the left side and the Crucifixion on the right. The painter Giovanni della Cecca, who worked on them, was jailed in the Palazzo Pretorio for stealing sheets and risked passing before the tabernacle as a condemned man.
The original site is located near the Agliena stream outside the town center, but the main artistic elements are easily accessible inside the church in upper Certaldo. Visitors should head to the church to view the restored works in comfort.
This tabernacle set the standard for all later works by Gozzoli, as it marked a turning point in his artistic approach. It often goes unnoticed today despite its importance in his creative development.
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