Research
Digitizing the Die Kirchen von Siena Project
The research project on the churches of Siena (Die Kirchen von Siena) was established by Peter Anselm Riedl and Max Seidel with the aim of studying the Sienese corpus through a research project of innovative character and of high scientific value that involved experts specialized in various fields. This scientific approach and the preservation of the monuments was made possible by collaboration with the University of Siena and with other cultural institutions of the city. The first volume in the special series Die Kirchen von Siena was published in 1985 and the series now consists of 18 volumes that follow the alphabetical order of the names of the churches and are divided into sections with texts, pictures, and plans.
The archive on the churches of Siena is the result of years of research carried out by Monika Butzek in the city's archives and libraries. The project Die Kirchen von Siena was based on as complete a record of the archival documents as possible. The extensive material is divided into folders and a card index system. The folders contain papers, documents and annotations related to the individual churches and noble families of Siena. The index cards are mostly dedicated to artists, single archives, and bibliographical entries.
We have digitised, reorganised and made available this archive to researchers and the general public. The archive has more than 100,000 cards with information and notes on the Sienese churches, artworks, families and archives and, despite the scale and complexity, it has been made available to researchers via a user-friendly platform.