Chiesa di San Lorenzo

The Church of San Lorenzo in Sansepolcro preserves Rosso Fiorentino's Deposition, a major Mannerist painting completed in 1528. The canvas returned to the church in 2024 after a restoration campaign by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure.

Why it matters

Rosso Fiorentino painted the altarpiece after arriving in the area following the 1527 Sack of Rome. Commissioned by the Compagnia di Santa Croce, the Deposition is considered a key work of early Mannerism and remains closely associated with Sansepolcro.

What to notice

The composition gathers figures, ladders and windblown drapery around Christ's body, using sharp colour and compressed space. Conservators also recovered a small daisy in the foreground. The church itself has a simple sixteenth-century interior that focuses attention on the altarpiece.

Context and history

The painting originally hung in the Franciscan Church of San Francesco and later moved to San Lorenzo. It was transferred to Florence in 2016 for conservation by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure and returned to Sansepolcro before Easter 2024. The church building dates to the mid-sixteenth century.