Abbey of San Salvatore Museum in Vaiano
The monastery opens its doors to illustrate the life of monks and the their role in the territory
The Abbey of San Salvatore Museum in Vaiano illustrates the life of monks at the abbey and the religious, social and economic role of the monastery in the territory. The Monastery of San Salvatore, probably built between the 13th and 14th century where an earlier Lombard village once stood, vaunts interesting architecture from the Middle Ages (the Romanesque church and bell tower from the 12th-13th centuries), Renaissance (the cloister) and Baroque period.
In the historic refectory, visitors can find objects that document the everyday life of the monks. The room dedicated to prayer time conserves sacred furnishings that showcase the monastic liturgy.
The room dedicated to the orders reconstructs the history of these historic forms of associationism through objects that once belonged to the Company of the Santissimo Sacramento in Vaiano.
The room dedicated to popular devotion boasts furnishings like the large, gilded processional float used in the Baroque period. Private mass is conducted in the Abate Chapel. On the bureau, visitors can admire original editions of works by Agnolo Firenzuola, who was the abbot of Vaiano for a few years.
In the monastery’s restored rooms, visitors can find a 15th-century ciborium made by someone in Antonio del Rossellino’s circle and a painting of "Christ Taking Leave of his Mother" attributed to the Pistoia-born painter Giacinto Gemignani.
