Cripta della Misericordia

Beneath the cathedral of Colle di Val d’Elsa, the Cripta della Misericordia preserves the oratory of the Compagnia della Morte and the town’s Misericordia confraternity. Its frescoed bays depict Hell, Purgatory and Paradise, above a high altar built in 1730.

Why it matters

The oratory documents the religious and charitable life of the confraternity, which used it as its seat for more than 270 years. It was built on ground that had served as a cemetery beneath the cathedral.

What to notice

The frescoes present the three realms of the afterlife in the imagery associated with the Compagnie della Morte. The high altar was commissioned by Lorenzo Lepri. The space’s position beneath the cathedral makes visible the layered history of the site.

Context and history

The rooms were established beneath the cathedral, erected in 1592, and granted by Bishop Giovanni Battista Buonaccorsi to the Compagnia della Morte. The confraternity was instituted in 1650. Its oratory took shape around 1663 and was frescoed in the early nineteenth century by Odoardo Ferrati.