| Building Name: | San Francesco |
| Location: | Volterra, Italy |
| Geo: | 43.4044°N 10.8561°W |
| Religious Affiliation: | Roman Catholic |
| Province: | Pisa |
| Architecture: | yes |
| Architecture Type: | Church |
| Architecture Style: | Gothic |
| Groundbreaking: | 13th century |
The church of San Francesco is a Gothic-style, Roman Catholic church in Volterra in the province of Pisa, region of Tuscany, Italy.
The plain stone church was granted in 1251 for a community of Franciscan friars. The interior has marble monuments to members of the aristocratic family of Counts Guidi, who were patrons of the order. The monument to Bishop Jacopo Guidi (1588) was designed by Felice Palma.[1]
Above the main altar, now enclosed in a baroque marble frame consisting of clouds, putti, and angels, is an early 14th century painted icon depicting a Madonna and Child. The venerated image was moved here from the no longer extant church of San Sebastiano, hence is called the Madonna di San Sebastiano.[2]
Among the paintings in the altars flanking the nave is a Madonna of the Immaculate Conception and saints with Adam and Eve (1585) by Giovanni Battista Naldini, a Nativity (1591) by Giovanni Balducci, a Crucifixion attributed to Bartolomeo Neroni, and a Crucifixion (1602) painted by Cosimo Daddi. There is an altarpiece depicting the "Miracle of San Francesco di Paola crossing the Straits of Messina on his Mantle" (1711) by Alessandro Gherardini.
Two paintings are no longer in the church: the Circumcision of Christ (1490-91) by Luca Signorelli[3] and the stunning masterpiece of the Deposition (1521) by Rosso Fiorentino; the former is in the National Gallery of London, while the latter has been moved to the Pinacoteca Civica of Volterrra. The baptismal font was sculpted by Giovanni Battista Bava in 1552.
The sacristy had a painting depicting Adoration of the Magi by Ignazio Hugford and a Nativity by Vincenzo Ferretti.[4]
This Gothic-style chapel was built in 1315 by architect Mone Todirigi for a confraternity (Compagnia della Croce di Giorno). It was decorated in 1410 with frescos by Cenni di Francesco and Jacopo da Firenze with scenes from the Legends of the True Cross. These frescoes were inspired by those of Agnolo Gaddi in the Santa Croce of Florence, and the Golden Legend of Jacobus de Voragine.