The Oratory of Loretino was built inside the Town Hall as the governors’ private chapel at the end of the 13th century. It became an important place of worship in the 14th century when the wooden image of the Holy Crucifix, considered to have miraculous powers, was placed here.
According to a legend, the simulacrum was brought to San Miniato by two mysterious travellers, who were probably two angels. They left it in the house of a poor widow. It was closed up in a case and it emanated an “arcane” light at night. It became a symbol of peace and love.
The veneration of the Holy Crucifix increased between 1629 and 1631 when the Bubonic Plague spread in San Miniato and Italy.
A church, the Sanctuary of the Most Holy Crucifix, was built in the 18th century in honour of the Holy Crucifix, which was placed in a tabernacle behind the main altar in 1718. The Holy Crucifix is still venerated and thought to be miraculous. This church stands between the Fort, the Cathedral and the Town Hall.
The Oratory contains decorations by Francesco Lanfranchi called “Spillo”, a magnificent altar attributed to Noferi di Antonio di Noferi and a wooden statue of the “Madonna di Loreto”, which gives the chapel its present name. The walls are decorated with 14th-century frescoes illustrating “Episodes from Jesus Christ’s Life”.
