Piccolomini Library

Architectural monument of XV century with stunning murals painted by Pinturicchio and showing the scenes from the life of the Pope Pius II (Piccolominni).

This is a must visit. Unparralled.

The entrance to the library is via the cathedral and once you enter the library you are blown away by these beautiful frescoes. They tell the story of Siena's most loved residents, cardinal Enea Silvio Piccolomini who eventually would later become Pope Pius II. If you are considering whether to get the ticket which includes entrance to the library than no need to hesitate. It's well worth it.

Simply amazing decoration on the walls & ceiling. Do not miss this wonderful library. The hand writing in the manuscripts is a work of art.

Gorgeous. It is a small room, a part of the cathedral.

Beautiful wall paintings and some old books to see. It’s included in the cathedral ticket

The Piccolomini Library is a monumental environment of the Siena cathedral.The library is magically beautiful. Its frescoes and exposed books are priceless treasure. In the honor the memory of the maternal uncle Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Pope Pius II), and to preserve the rich bibliographic patrimony that the pontiff and humanist collected when he was in Rome, Cardinal Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini, archbishop of Siena (later Pope Pius III), around in 1492 he was built a library on the premises of the old rectory along the north-western side of the Cathedral. Todeschini was inspired by the French tradition that included libraries attached to cathedrals and by the opening of the Vatican Library of Pope Sixtus IV. As for the chronology of the frescoes that decorate the library, they were made by Pinturicchio and his workshop in a period of time ranging from 1503 to 1508 and celebrate the life and deeds of the pontificate of Pius II, rich in evocation of landscapes and real and imaginative costumes, with refined representations of ceremonies and characters, performed with a wealth of glazed colors. Among the beautiful murals besides Pope Pius II is the character of Pinturicchio himself. In the scene with the canonization of Saint Catherine of Siena, among the public of the religious orders, in the lower left, the two figures in which the young Raphael (with red stockings) have long recognized themselves, who would have collaborated with Bernardino di Betto the execution of the frescoes in the Library, and Pinturicchio himself (with the red cap). The fifth scene of the cycle is one of the best known: it represents the meeting, promoted by the pontiff, between Emperor Frederick III and Eleonora of Portugal, which took place on February 24, 1452, near Porta Camollia. In addition to the murals in the room, we can also admire the marble sculpture of Three Graces. Magnificent codes ( Hand Painted and Written Books),(Gradualie Antifonari) are preserved in the display cases on the walls. It is a very representative collection for the history of the Italian miniature of the fifteenth century. Beyond the Sienese artists, the most precious pages are those decorated by Girolamo da Cremona and Liberale da Verona.

Beautiful room inside Siena's cathedral. Spectacular and exceptional artwork in this library constructed by Pope Pius III to commemorate the memory of his uncle, Pope Pius II. The walls are divided into 10 scenes representing various important stages in the life of the Pope, the ceiling itself offers another impressive view with its main rectangle and half voltas painted in blue, red and gold and in the middle of the room there's the beautiful copy of The Three Graces from Roman times.