Rettoria del Pellegrino Siena

Great celebrations in Siena on the occasion of the Sienese New Year which has always fallen on the day of the Annunciation, this year postponed to April 8th to coincide with Holy Week. The day opened with an important event from a religious but also historical and cultural point of view: the Sienese Curia led by Cardinal Augusto Paolo Lojudice proclaimed the church of the Santissima Annunziata, owned by the municipal administration, "Pilgrim's Rectory"; The important moment was accompanied by the Eucharistic celebration, deeply felt by the Sienese people gathered in contemplation of the beautiful apse, frescoed with the Probatic Pool narrated in the Gospel of John. The Santa Maria della Scala, with its splendid Sala del Perllegrino, 1320-1330 , already performed this important function, that of giving hospitality to the numerous pilgrims passing through Siena. With this new Rectory the Cardinal intends to give back to the church its ancient function typical of the Middle Ages in view above all of the great Jubilee of 2025. The Rectory will in itself have its own Legal Autonomy, while the Church is already public property: therefore there is a perfect adhesion between the religious spirit and the management of the common good. The objective is to make Piazza del Duomo not only a tourist destination - the Duomo is together with Piazza del Campo the main attraction of the city of Siena - but also a place with a spiritual, economic, non-profit function, but of welcoming the pilgrim . Priority will be given to listening and proclaiming the Word of God and for the reception, exhibitions and events will be organized to highlight the various spiritualities that animate the modern church.

Valentina Niccolai