The
Romanesque architectural details of the church's interior are emphasised by the decorative use of colour, with the
voussoirs of the nave
arcades being of alternately black and white
marble, creating stripes, as seen at
Orvieto Cathedral. The vault compartments are all painted with
lapis lazuli dotted with gold stars, and the vaulting ribs are emphasised with bands of geometric decoration predominantly in red, white and gold. The church is most famous for its largely intact scheme of
fresco decoration, the greater part of which dates from the 14th century, and represents the work of painters of the Sienese school, influenced by the Byzantine traditions of
Duccio and the
Early Renaissance developments of
Giotto. The frescoes comprise a ''
Poor Man's Bible'' of
Old Testament cycle,
New Testament cycle, and
Last Judgement, as well as an
Annunciation, a
Saint Sebastian, and the stories of a local saint,
St Fina, as well as several smaller works.
Old Testament cycle The wall of the left aisle had six decorated bays, of which the paintings of the first bay are in poor condition and those of the sixth have been damaged and in part destroyed by the insertion of the pipe organ. The remaining paintings, with the exception of a repainted panel in the sixth bay, are the work of
Bartolo di Fredi, and, according to an inscription, were completed around 1356.
Upper level The upper register occupies the lunettes beneath the vault and depicts the story of
Creation. The name "Barna" in relation to paintings at the Collegiate Church of San Gimignano appears to have originated in
Lorenzo Ghiberti's
Commentaries. In 1927 the archivist Peleo Bacci made the suggestion that Barna had never existed and that the paintings are the work of
Lippo Memmi. This hypothesis received no support and little comment for fifty years. In 1976 discussion of Bacci's attribution was revived, with Moran suggesting that there had been a mis-transcription of "Bartolo" as "Barna", with the name "Bartolo" referring to Bartolo di Fredi, painter of the Old Testament cycle. The attribution of the New Testament cycle to Lippo Memmi, perhaps assisted by his brother
Federico Memmi and father
Memmo di Filippucci, is now generally agreed. The scenes within the New Testament cycle are organised into four separate narratives, and do not follow a clear left-to-right pattern as do those of the left aisle. As with the left aisle, they are divided into three registers, the upper being the lunettes between the vaults.
Chapel of Santa Fina This chapel off the right aisle, which has been described as "one of the jewels of Renaissance architecture, painting and sculpture", is dedicated to a young girl, Serafina, known as "Fina" and regarded locally as a saint.
Chapel of the Conception The chapel was built in 1477 and modified in the 17th century. The side lunettes have frescoes by Niccolo di Lapi representing the
Birth of the Virgin and
St Philip Neri celebration mass. The vault shows the
Coronation of the Virgin painted by
Pietro Dandini. The altarpiece is the
Virgin of the Immaculate Conception by
Ludovico Cardi, late 16th century.
Other artworks St Sebastian On the rear wall of the nave, beneath the
Last Judgement is a fresco of the
Martyrdom of St Sebastian painted by
Benozzo Gozzoli in 1465. The work was commissioned by the people of San Gimignano as the result of a vow that they made to honour the saint, whose intervention was believed to have brought relief from an outbreak of plague in 1464. The painting shows the figure of Christ and the Virgin Mary in Glory, while below, St Sebastian, standing on a Classical plinth and bristling with arrows, suffers martyrdom and is crowned by angels. Benozzo Gozzoli received his training under
Lorenzo Ghiberti while working on the
Baptistry doors.
The Annunciation In the Baptistery Loggia to the south of the church are several small frescoes of saints, and a major work,
The Annunciation, previously attributed to Ghirlandaio but now believed to be the work of
Sebastiano Mainardi and dated to 1482. • The crucifix of the chancel is by the Florentine sculptor, Giovanni Antonio Noferi, 1754. Noferi also designed the marble pavement of the chancel. ==Further reading==