The church of the Madonna del Soccorso, protector of Montalcino, stands on the site of the ancient Porta del Cornio, where an image of the Virgin was preserved. Around 1478 the Hospitals of S. Maria della Croce and della Misericordia financed the enlargement of the small chapel dedicated to Mary, built in 1330. After the siege of 1553, the basilica, until then dedicated to the Madonna della Consolazione, was called “del Soccorso” (Aid) in memory of the protection that the city had received: in the sacristy there is a silver statue of the Virgin and Child donated by Don Garcia in 1553 after the withdrawal of his troops.
The view over the Val d'Orcia
From the small park adjacent to the church of the Madonna del Soccorso it is possible to enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the Val d'Orcia. So suggestive that it was described by Saul Bellow, Nobel Prize for literature in 1976, with these words: “I have never had a weakness for panoramas, but the beauty of such a wide view penetrated the armour of my twentieth-century soul, so hostile to landscapes”.
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Other structures
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