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Towns of the area

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Chiusdino

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Inhabitants in 1991: 1.922

The municipal territory of Chiusdino extends for 141, 81 square kilometres on the hills which surround the high valley of the Merse river. It had its origins as an Episcopal feudal; it became seat of the community in 1777 with the Leopoldina reforms.

Already an important castle at the beginning of the XII century, Chiusdino was feudal to the Bishop of Volterra, but already in this era the Counts of Forsini and the Abbey of Serena laid claim to the rights over it; in 1137 even Siena, through its Bishop, acquired a part together with half the castle of Montieri with the silver mines, claiming, on the basis of this first acquisition the right to full jurisdiction on Chiusdino. After having subjugated the Frosini Counts and the other local Nobles, in 1215 Siena obtained from the Bishop of Volterra, the recognition of their dominion on the land and in 1230 Chiusdino was definitively aggregated by the Siena republic to its territory. The Construction of the Cistercense Abbey of San Galgano also goes back to the first years of the XIII century, and for three centuries it was centre of great importance both religious and economic.

Places to visit:
Church of San Galgano, constructed in 1224 in Gothic Scistercense style where there was the Seat of one of the most important and powerful Toscana Monasteries. Today only the imposing and evocative ruins remain.

Historical info reproduced upon authorization of Regione Toscana - Dipartimento della Presidenza E Affari Legislativi e Giuridici
Translated by Ann Mountford


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