Chiesa di San Francesco

The Church of Saint Francis in Grosseto is a simple Gothic hall church with a wooden roof and layers of medieval and later decoration. Its painted crucifix is attributed to Duccio di Buoninsegna, and its chapels preserve works from later centuries.

Why it matters

The church began as a Benedictine foundation dedicated to San Fortunato before passing, with its cloister, to the Franciscans in the thirteenth century. Its single-nave form reflects the order's preaching tradition. The large painted crucifix, attributed to Duccio at the end of the thirteenth century, is among the city's most important works of art.

What to notice

The façade is restrained, with a frescoed portal lunette and a wooden tabernacle at the entrance. Inside, the nave's timber roof and surviving frescoes create a clear view toward the presbytery. The chapel of Sant'Antonio da Padova preserves seventeenth-century frescoes by Francesco Nasini. The church's bell tower was rebuilt in 1623 and reconstructed after lightning damage in 1917.

Context and history

The Medici walls reduced the footprint of the adjoining convent in the sixteenth century. Over time, the church accumulated frescoes from the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries. The bell tower's successive repairs and the later chapel decoration reflect the building's continuing use across several centuries.