CORTONA AND THE CHURCH OF SANTANGELO

Cortona, an ancient Etruscan town

From its high perch on top of a verdant hill Cortona dominates the Val di Chiana and offers commanding views over the valley all the way to the peaks of the Monte Amiata. The medieval aspect of buildings and alleyways gives the town a charming, unspoilt air. The Basilica of Santa Margherita and the Convent of Le Celle invite guests to discover Cortona from up above providing an itinerary of art and faith only a stone’s throw away from the town centre. Strolling down the Ruga Piana, today Via Nazionale (the only level street in town) you will get to the Piazza della Repubblica towered over by the imposing medieval Palazzo Comunale (town hall) whilst the adjoining Piazza Signorelli is dominated by the Palazzo Casali the former residence of the Casali housing today the MAEC (Museo dell’Accademia Etrusca e della Città di Cortona). Its rooms house a very interesting collection of Etruscan and Roman archaeological finds. Located on the north end of town across form the Cathedral the Museo Diocesano is a real jewel-case housing works by major local artists such as Luca Signorelli as well as one of the most enchanting Annunciations by Beato Angelico. Outside the city gates at the foot of the hill The Melone I and II of Sodo are fine examples of Etruscan underground tombs from the 6th century B.C. The Abbey of Santa Maria of Farneta located along the road to Foiano is with its charming crypt one of the most ancient examples of Aretinian Romanesque art.
Once you visited town do not forge to visit the Church of Sant’Angelo located less than 100 yards from our villa.

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Besides its charm and beauty Cortona is a major tourist destination also for its ideal location enabling to easily and quickly get to major cultural and artistic sites such as Florence, Siena, Perugia, Assisi, Montepulciano, Montalcino, Lake Trasimeno, Arezzo, Pienza, Gubbio, Orvieto, Spoleto, etc

The Church of Sant’Angelo in Metelliano

You will get to this enchanting Romanesque church located to the south-east of Cortona on the fringes of the Val d’Esse driving (or walking) down the road that leads from Borgo di San Domenico past Le Contesse and the Palazzone to Metelliano. The toponym Metelliano is a clear Roman predial referring to the properties of the Metellia family, a family that was well attested to in Cortona also for the important positions covered by its family members. The area surrounding Sant’Angelo was certainly densely inhabited in Etruscan and Roman times as is witnessed by the wide range of finds listed by Don Bruno Frescucci including remarkable remains of an Imperial-age Roman villa unearthed in 1881.
The church we see today most likely dates back to the 11th century although a church already existed here in the 8th century as is shown by the early medieval sculptural fragments include din it;

What is actually hard to explain is the reason why a valuable early medieval church that was later rebuilt in Romanesque style should be found here already in the 11th century. There is in fact no evidence leading to believe this could be a parish or a monastic church; nor can we believe the church was built by poor country people. An interesting clue might come from the name of the namesake Saint, Sant’Angelo, i.e. Saint Michael the Archangel; as already mentioned Longobards were devotees of the “warrior” Archangel that amongst other reasons was reminiscent of the old national pagan deity Odin. This gives thus good ground to think that the church might have been founded by some Longobard master back in the 8th century. The famous and much debated document of Henry the Second from year 1014 tells us that at that date the church was in the possession of the Abbey of Farneta to which it had been donated by the founding family. If this is true we may well believe that the rich and powerful Abbey of Farneta, then enjoying its heyday, after rebuilding in the 10th century its own church probably also saw to rebuilding the already valuable early medieval church of Sant’Angelo more sumptuously.

Unfortunately the church of Sant’Angelo underwent throughout the following centuries extensive interventions and alterations (especially in the 16th, 17th and 18th century) that reduced it to the miserable state that could be witnessed in the early 1900s. Restoration work was started in 1905-1906 with the demolition of all internal and external additions. Restoration work that was resumed with more critical rigour in 1960-1 to give us the church we can see today. In 1907 the church was officially declared a national monument.
Today’s visitors can behold a one-thousand year old church still preserving its historical and artistic mystery almost intact.