Anghiari, The convent della Croce

One of the most religious sites near Anghiari is Borgo la Croce, a long tract which connects the town with Sansepolcro. Its name comes from the fact that in 1224, San Francesco passed through here on his way to Assisi from La Verna and placed a humble cross made from branches on this site. San Francesco was a religious Catholic man who abandoned power and wealth to live in poverty, spreading the principles of the wandering religious order which he founded.

A chapel was built where this simple cross had been laid. Slowly, a town grew up around the chapel. When the saint died, so many monks came to the area that a kind of religious hostel was set up. The enormous devotion to San Francesco took form and the hostel was converted into a convent for the nuns of Santa Chiara. Work to convert the hostel took place between 1499 and 1534. The construction has an elegant façade with arches resting on Doric columns. Inside, there are frescoes by Florentine artists and a sepulchre by the historian, Lorenzo Taglieschi. It is thanks to Taglieschi that much of the history of Anghiari was recorded and so is known today.