Beata quella città della sua patria! Siena’s religious culture and Carthusian monasticism

Abstract
“Fourteenth-century Tuscany was among the most receptive regions for the expansion of the Carthusian order. Siena represented a unique case as it was the only city with three charterhouses within its territory, the only instance in the entire history of the order: Maggiano, Belriguardo, and Pontignano. This chapter sheds light on the impact that the Carthusians had on Siena’s literary and religious culture. In particular, it reconsiders a lesser known religious figure Pietro Petroni (1311-1361), a Sienese Carthusian monk from Maggiano. Petroni’s unorthodox visionary and prophetic activity leads to new insights on late-medieval Carthusian engagement in the world, on the one hand, and, on the other, to relevant aspects in the life and work of some of the most prominent religious and cultural figures of the time, including Boccaccio, Petrarch, Giovanni Colombini, and Catherine of Siena.”