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HISTORY
AND WORKS OF ART:
At
the beginning of the XIVth century, the Chiesa della Madonna
degli Alemanni, a very ancient church with an underneath
oratory, was standing on the very spot of the hotel. The church
was on the present hall floor, while the oratory was on the
lower floor. The two structures were connected by a staircase
which is still linking the two floors.
  In
the origin, the church was a place of cult and devotion: people
went there to worship a miraculous simulacrum representing the
Virgin's bust with the Child (Madonna della Manna). It is a
XIVth century terracotta which is actually on display in the
Duomo di Cortona. The church was decorated with remarkable works
of art; besides the above mentioned terracotta, there was a big
picture representing Our Lady of the Assumption. This painting,
which was attributed to Andrea del Sarto, is now stored in the
choir of the Duomo di Cortona. There was also a wooden crucifix,
by F. Fabbrucci, with its finely carved case which is today
housed in the Chiesa dello Spirito Santo in Cortona. The cult of
the Madonna degli Alemanni was so widespread and deeply felt
that the church proved to be too narrow to host its devotees.
  The
church was thus knocked down in 1730 and a new, bigger one was
erected in its stead. It was decorated with stuccoes and
frescoes whose main remains is a Madonna with S. Andrea Avellino,
by the artist F. Fabbrucci from Corstona (XVIIIth century).
Among the original church's remains, two gothic capitals and two
frescoes are particularly worth mentioning. They are now housed
in the Istituto delle Suore Serve di Maria Riparatrici, in Via
G. Severini, just opposite the hotel. The first fresco, from
Bartolomeo della Gatta's school (XVth century), where the Virgin
with the Child is painted on a tile just in front of an oak, is
generally known as "Madonna della Quercia" (The Oak's
Virgin).
 The
second fresco, whose author is still unknown, represents Giobbe
and is dated 1504. On the 8th of October 1741, a solemn ceremony
took place in the Duomo di Cortona to pay homage to the image of
the Madonna degli Alemanni and the Child. Later on, the
demolition of many small churches was ordered by the Archduke
Leopoldo di Toscana. The church of the Madonna degli Alemanni
was thus knocked down in 1786. In its stead, a gentleman's
residence was built (Villa Marsili) looking about the same as
the present hotel.
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