Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Fontenuova in Monsummano Terme
The church was founded in the 1600s on the site of a miraculous fountain
Founded in 1602 at the request of Grand Duke Ferdinando I de’ Medici, the Basilica of the Madonna della Fontenuova (Our Lady of New Spring) is located in the heart of Monsummano Terme and sits on the site of a historic tabernacle, incorporated in the high altar. The tabernacle contains a fresco depicting the Madonna and Child and four Saints to whom various miracles have been attributed. According to tradition, on July 7, 1602, a priest prayed to Our Lady to end the drought afflicting the area, and lo and behold, a spring gushed forth not far from the venerated image. It was after this episode that Grand Duke Ferdinand I decreed the construction of the sanctuary, assigning the job to Gherardo Mechini, who had previously worked at the Medici Villa in Montevettolini. On December 30 of that same year, Prince Cosimo II layed the first stone of the Sanctuary, whose construction work was completed in 1605.
The building, characterized with rare elegance and sobriety, is highly interesting thanks to the uniformity of its style and for the harmonious continuity between the architecture and precious decorations. Vaunting a traditional Latin-cross plan, with just one nave, the sanctuary is surrounded on three sides by a portico from which, climbing a steep staircase, visitors can reach the fountain. The beautiful entrance portal to the church was carved by woodworker Giovanni Desideri of Pistoia, also the author of the nave's very rich wooden ceiling.
Under the portico, visitors can admire the fourteen frescoed lunettes made between 1630 and 1633 by painter Giovanni Mannozzi da Sangiovanni, depicting the history of the Sanctuary and the miracles performed by the Virgin of Fontenuova.
