Cappella del Sacro Cingolo

The Chapel of the Sacred Girdle in Prato Cathedral preserves the relic known as the Sacra Cintola and a late-Gothic fresco cycle by Agnolo Gaddi. The chapel was built to house the belt traditionally associated with the Virgin Mary.

Why it matters

The Cintola became one of Prato's defining devotional objects and a focus of civic identity. Tradition tells of its arrival in the city through the merchant Michele, who had brought it from the Holy Land. The chapel's frescoes narrate the Virgin's story and the legend of the relic.

What to notice

Agnolo Gaddi painted the chapel's scenes between 1392 and 1395, including the Dormition of the Virgin and Saint Thomas receiving the girdle. The relic is kept in a rock-crystal reliquary made in 1638. Maso di Bartolomeo designed the small internal balcony from which it could be shown to the assembled crowd.

Context and history

The chapel was built between 1386 and 1390, and the relic was transferred to its altar on 4 April 1395. Earlier, an attempted theft in 1312 led to renewed attention to its protection. The Comune retains part of the keys to the altar, reflecting the relic's longstanding civic importance. Its legend is also depicted in frescoes by Amico Aspertini at the Basilica of San Frediano in Lucca.