Santuario di Santa Maria delle Grazie al Calcinaio

Santa Maria delle Grazie al Calcinaio stands below Cortona as a Renaissance church associated with the shoemakers' guild. Francesco di Giorgio Martini's design gave a monumental setting to a venerated image of the Madonna and Child.

Why it matters

The church connects craft patronage and popular devotion with Renaissance architectural theory. Clear proportions and the relationship between nave, chapels and dome distinguish the building from the irregular accumulation often found at older shrines.

What to notice

Pilasters and pedimented windows articulate the exterior. Inside, the Marian image is framed by the high altar, while side chapels extend the devotional programme. Jacone's painting of the Madonna with saints and Guillaume de Marcillat's stained glass add early-sixteenth-century art to the architectural ensemble.

Context and history

Tradition recounts that the image began attracting miraculous devotion at a tanning vat in 1484. The shoemakers' guild commissioned the church, and construction began in 1485. The dome followed in 1509–1514, with further finishing work during the sixteenth century. The Calcinaio name recalls lime used in leather working. Later conservation addressed water management, an enduring concern for a building on this site.