The Church of the Holy Spirit or Chiesa dello Spirito Santo is a 17th-century,

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church built just outside the medieval walls of

Cortona Cortona (, ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Arezzo, in Tuscany, Italy. It is the main cultural and artistic centre of the Val di Chiana after Arezzo. Toponymy Cortona is derived from Latin Cortōna, and from Etruscan language, Etr ...

, region of

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, Italy.

History

The site had previously housed an aedicule with a miraculous icon of the Virgin. Construction of the church took place between 1637 and 1669 using designs by Filippo Berrettini. The church was occupied by priests of the order of the Congregation of St Elizabeth. The dome and the tall facade were completed in 1751. An inventory in 1900 described the main altar and the sculptures are the work of Francesco Fabbrucci (1687–1767), who also created the statues of Faith and Charity, which are copies of the statues by

Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, ; ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 1598 – 28 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor ...

on the tomb of Pope

Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...

. On this altar there is an image of the ''Virgin Mary'', while on the left side altar there is a canvas with the ''Madonna with Saints Margaret and Felici pray for souls in Purgatory'' by Angiolo Ricci. In the altar on the right is a canvas depicting the ''Madonna with Infant Jesus, Santa Margherita and San Felice'' by

Giuseppe Angeli ''Immaculate Conception with Saints'' (ca 1760) Giuseppe Angeli (Venice 1709- Venice, 1798) was an Italian painter of the late-Baroque, known for depicting both genre and religious subjects. Biography He trained in the studio of Giambattista Pi ...

.Cortona antica: notizie archeologiche storiche ed artistiche
by Alberto Della Cella (1900), page 172.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santo Spirito Baroque architecture in Cortona Roman Catholic churches in Cortona 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy