Chiesa di Sant'Agostino

Sant'Agostino is a major Gothic church in Massa Marittima's Cittanuova quarter. Its broad nave, polygonal apse and later paintings connect the medieval expansion of the town with subsequent religious patronage.

Why it matters

The Augustinians began the church in 1299 to replace their smaller church of San Pietro all'Orto. Its scale reflects the role of mendicant churches within growing medieval towns.

What to notice

Pointed arches support the timber roof over the single nave. The polygonal apse and tall Gothic windows distinguish the eastern end. Paintings include works by Antonio Nasini, Rutilio Manetti, Empoli and Lorenzo Lippi. Relics and a vestment associated with Bernardino of Siena recall the saint's birth in Massa Marittima in 1380. The adjoining cloister adds another component of the former conventual complex.

Context and history

Work continued after the 1299 foundation, with the apse completed in 1348–1351. The church formed part of the developing Cittanuova, distinct from the older episcopal quarter. Seventeenth-century commissions added further paintings and furnishings. These later layers accompany the Gothic structure, rather than leaving the building as an unchanged survival of its foundation date.