Of the Abbey of S. Salvatore, which for about a millennium radiated its power throughout the eastern Amiata area, the Church and the Crypt remain. From history and legend we learn that this Monastery, first Benedictine then Cistercian, was founded around 750 AD by will of the Lombard King Rachis, who initially intended it to control the Via Francigena, which ran along the valley immediately below.
Subsequently, the temporal power of this Abbey, although often clashing with the Aldobrandeschi, the powerful nobles whose territories included the entire western slope of Amiata, finds great confirmation in the history of Tuscany and in the relations between the Papacy and the Empire. In this historical environmental context, the medieval village also records considerable interest, which is preserved almost intact with narrow picturesque streets. Abbadia San Salvatore has experienced in the last two centuries the positive aspects (which derived from the economic spin-off) and at the same time the negative aspects (for the working conditions of the miners) of a significant mining development linked to the extraction of cinnabar and the consequent production of mercury, whose mines are now all closed.
In the surroundings of Abbadia, the chapel of Ermeta, surrounded by thick woodland. Not far from the urban area, the old mine, one of the most productive of cinnabar, testifying to an economic activity no longer current, so much so that it is destined to an interesting museum, today visitable
Abbey of San Salvatore on Mount Amiata
The Amiatine Bible – Codex Amiatinus
The Codex Amiatinus or Amiatina Bible is the oldest manuscript copy of the Bible in its Latin version written by Saint Jerome that has been entirely preserved. It is a truly exceptional testimony to the historical and cultural events of Europe between the 7th and 8th centuries. A true monument of our art, with its over a thousand pages, the Amiatina Bible is one of the most important finds in our entire history.
The Crypt
It is located under the church and is accessed through doors next to the staircase leading to the presbytery. It is characterized by the presence of 35 columns and capitals, 24 of which are original.
The capitals and columns are of singular and different shapes. Upon entering, you find the recently restored part, while following are the actual remains of the crypt. Starting in 1966, work was carried out to restore the structure to its ancient plan, with the creation of the missing columns and the consolidation of the original ones. Finally, in the 90s, the vaults were cleaned and the stone floor was redone with new lighting.
Christ Triumphant
The “Christus Triumphans”, provided with a halo, has his robes tied in front and his feet nailed separately. In a perfectly frontal position, he is nailed to a wooden cross, without the ends. The Crucifix, believed by some to be a Byzantine work, datable to around the 1908th century, is attributed in an old Superintendency file (1960) to a Sienese Byzantine-style artist from the first half of the XNUMXth century. More recently E. Carli (XNUMX), in dating it to the XNUMXth century, notes French influences from Languedoc and Aquitaine and thinks that it may have been made in the Sienese land by French artists, who came to Italy.
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