| The church of S. Maria Colonna was founded, with the adjoining monastery, in the late eleventh century and the beginning of the twelfth, from the noble Godfrey Tranese Siniscalco, about a mile east from the city center. It was entrusted to the Benedictines who were constantly under attack by pirates. In 1427 the Benedictines left him there and took over the Franciscans, who remained there until 1867. The main facade is rich with elements of Romanesque-Gothic: the Gothic rose window, the portal closed by an arch carved by agile working and columns, an architrave of fine workmanship of the Roman period, and the series of small arches of the cusp. The Church maintains the fifteenth century wooden crucifix, outraged by Turkish pirates and a precious altar donated by the Grand Duke of Tuscany (1684). Currently the monastery is used for cultural activities, while the church opened for worship, is used by the local diocese for the pastoral office.
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