San Giovannino della Staffa, Siena
San Giovannino della Staffa, also known as San Giovannino in Pantaneto is a Renaissance style, Roman Catholic church located on Piazetta Virgilio Grassi, in the Contrada del Leocorno, in the city of Siena, region of Tuscany, Italy.
History
A Romanesque, 13th-century church at the site was rebuilt in the first half of the 16th century. The church was dedicated to St John the Baptist, and the church or oratory was allied to a lay company of the same name. The architect may have been Giovanni Battista Pelori, a pupil of Baldassarre Peruzzi. The brick facade was completed by 1537. Completion of the body of the church was delayed until the 1590s. Fresco decoration of the interiors were commissioned from 1599 to 1649. The Contrada del Leocorno has been linked to the church for over three centuries.
Inside, the nave ceiling is frescoed with a Glory of St John the Baptist by Dionisio Montorselli. The nave walls have fifteen frescoes by diverse artists, depicting events in the Life of John the Baptist. The painters include Dionisio Montorselli, Rutilio Manetti, Domenico Manetti, Giovan Battista Giustammiani, called il Francesino, Bernardino Mei ; Raffaello Vanni, Deifebo Burbarini, and Astolfo Petrazzi. Some works have been attributed to Angelo di Niccolò Tegliacci, Cristoforo Rustici, Niccolo Nasini, and Tornioli.
The main altar was built by Flaminio del Turco. The church has a small 14th-century Madonna della Pace by Francesco di Vannuccio.
The vestibule of the church has a terracotta statue of the Baptist by Guidoccio Cozzarelli and a canvas of the Glory of St Joseph by Deifebo Burbarini.
