Lecceto hermitage

The convent of Lecceto is located in Malmantile, a hamlet of Lastra a Signa and it was born as a hermitage, founded in 1473 by the Dominican friar Domenico Guerrucci, and generously funded by the Florentine Filippo Strozzi, whose coat of arms can be seen in various areas of the church and convent. The hermitage is found at the end of a cypress-lined avenue, along a very ancient road that leads from Gangalandi to the Lamole church.

Originally restricted to a part of the present ground floor and first floor, it was suppressed in 1810 and reduced to a household. In 1875 it was bought by the archbishop of Florence, Eugenio Cecconi, who restored it and enlarged it to be used as a summer residence of the major Seminary. During the Seventies the convent underwent a considerable overhaul and today it is the seat of a spiritual retreat.

The church of Lecceto represents one of the purest examples of late 15th century architecture in the Florentine county; at the behest of Filippo Strozzi it was decorated with wooden and marble artefacts by Benedetto da Maiano and with an altarpiece by Domenico Ghirlandaio, works that disappeared later in the 19th century. The high altar houses a painting, dating back to about 1480, whose central part is the work of Neri di Bicci, who intervened on a 14th century painting.