Castles, Parishes and Churches

The Castle of Murlo was the main center of the bishop's feud, the seat of the Bishops of Siena.
The castle is dominated on its highest point by the imposing bishop's palace, square in shape and with a scarp base, commonly called the "Palazzone." The entrance gate, surmounted by an acute stone arch, is interesting, and inside, the vaulted rooms on the ground floor and the beamed rooms on the second floor are remarkable. The palace developed by transforming and expanding the pre-existing one consisting of a 13th-century tower; traces of it can be seen on the facade and especially inside on all floors. The walls surrounding the village/castle are from the same period and are still visible on almost the entire perimeter, along which there are two gates, one to the north and the other to the south/west.
Characteristic are the houses leaning against the walls, most also built after the Sienese War, in which centuries-old traces have emerged during renovations in recent decades.
Until 1832, the seat of Murlo's Town Hall was in this Palazzina.
Currently the Bishop's Palace houses the Archaeological Museum of Murlo, with the rich archaeological finds from Poggio Civitate; beautiful are the views from the windows on the top floor.

Campriano constitutes an exceptionally charming country residence and is located along the Radi road. We have had of Campriano,its castle and the small church of San Giovanni since 1081; the property, initially belonging to the monks of San Eugenio, passed from various families during the 12th and 14th centuries, being destroyed and rebuilt several times, according to the very complex and even confusing ups and downs and wars, until its destruction in 1368.
At present Campriano still has The two levels of the city walls, the upper one of which is pentagon-shaped, the rest of two towers and the delightful little Romanesque church of San Giovanni Battista Decollato, which also has valuable modern sculptures inside. Private property with important wine and oil production.

San Giusto, of which there are records from 1164, with a reference to its ancient pieve, remained for centuries a possession of the Ranuccini.
With testamentary donations they gradually left their propierìtà to the Spetale di S.Maria della Scala, creating the conditions for the establishment of the Grancia, which, still in 1750, included numerous farms (Mattioni, Poggio Cenni, Gonfienti, Campo Longo, Poggio Coppoli, Rigo Secco, Pian di Rocca).
But at the end of the 18th century all the Grancie were alienated due to the dire economic conditions of the Spetale; in 1785 San Giusto was also auctioned off.
The ancient apse and what used to be the bell tower, dwellings, passageways and some low arched windows are preserved

The small church next to the Bishop's Palace was elevated to the rank of cathedral at the end of the 16th century, being the Bishop's church. There are records of this church from 1081, which was given the title of Pieve in the second half of the 12th century, having equal dignity to function as the Pieve in Carli.
Its probable original gabled form was completely renovated in 1589 by Archbishop Bandini Piccolomini with the creation of a transept and two new stucco altars, imitating polychrome marble; they were adorned with two canvases by Astolfo Petrazzi ( ) and Dionisio Montorselli ( ), which still exist today.
The baptismal font also dates from the late 17th century: an older, 15th-century font was rediscovered in the basin, which bears carved festoons, a band decorated with foliage and the Bernardine monogram. Also of note are two stoups: one 16th-century and the other 14th-century.

Chapel of St. Nicholas in Murlo, records from the 1700s when it was converted into storage for agricultural implements.

The church, which has been recorded since 1151, is located on the top of the ramparts of the Campriano Castle fortress and is open for worship, but privately owned. In its gabled form, it preserves the ancient structures with the three apses, visible only from the inside, for later buildings leaning against the church on the outside. From the church comes a beautiful Madonna and Child by Pietro Lorenzetti, now at the Museum of Sacred Art of the Val d'Arbia in Buonconvento. Its state of preservation and fine workmanship make it one of the most original and striking in the area, not least because of the interesting sculptures by Massimo Lippi inside.

Chapel of the Madonna at Lupompesi, records from 1654. Converted today into a private residence.

The parish church is recorded from 1214; in 1475 it was adorned with a triptych with St. Michael and other saints by Benvenuto di Giovanni, later transferred to the parish church of Vescovado and replaced by a copy. It was completely restored in the early twentieth century in neo-Gothic forms: three serene stone altars were built inside, with a rich marble tabernacle on the high altar. It experienced a remarkable revival due to the activities of the New World Community, which founded one of its centers there and engaged in a constant effort to restore the architectural structure, which ended in 1997 with the restoration of both the worship building and the outbuildings. The church was adorned with a new tabernacle sculpted by Chiara Tambani in 1997.

Church of S.Margherita in Montorgiali, news from 1055 today disappeared.

Sacello di S.Biagio in Montorgiali, news of a church in 1598 today sacellum, restored in 1995.

Oratory of S.Leonardo Madonnino in Tinoni lost all trace.

The hermitage, which has been known since 1189, in the time of Frederick Barbarossa, is an awe-inspiring place, despite the fact that it is reduced to little more than a ruin, falling completely into disrepair.
The remains of the building appear in the thick scrub, still vivid in the alternating colors that mix the dark green of Vallerano marble and the precious pink marble. Part of the perimeter walls remain, interrupted by slender single-lancet windows with a segmental arched roof; the vault, a barrel vault, has collapsed; traces also remain of the pilasters and capitals that supported the arch placed in the middle of the nave. The church, dedicated to St. Mary of Rocamadur, and the convent were one of the most important Augustinian centers; its construction dates back to the 13th century; the last chapter of the Augustinian observance congregations was held there in 1449.
In the 17th century the precarious condition of the building forced the last monk to move to Crevole. The "Madonna di Crevole" panel painted by the young Duccio di Buoninsegna for the convent was transferred to the church of Santa Cecilia in Crevole and then to the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in Siena.

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Oratory of the Madonna di Piantasala in Casciano, records from 1575 now open for worship, recent restoration.

There are records of it from 1055 (currently under restoration).
Its origin probably dates back to the 11th century, but the earliest certain records are from the following century. It shows signs of its Romanesque origin in the facade, with its gabled roof and parade of large stone blocks interspersed with brick scans.
Severely damaged during the passage of Pisan troops in 1332, it suffered further damage in the late 14th century at the hands of Florentine troops and was not spared during the passage of the imperial army in 1554.
Nevertheless, it underwent continuous restoration work that preserved its structure. The interior was remodeled in the 17th century; the Baroque altars with white stucco scrolls and ovals preserve a 17th-century altarpiece, a copy of the Sodoma panel with two saints.