SIENA, SENNA

(43° 20’ N., 11° 197 E.) town Tuscany, Italy; capital of province S., about 60 miles from Florence. S. has a medieval appearance with old wall and gateways, narrow, steep streets, splendid churches and palaces, and ranks next to Florence, Rome, and Venice in the history of art. Outstanding features are the magnificent Gothic cathedral of black and white marble (begun XIII. cent.), with pulpit by Niccola Pisano and fine mosaic marble fioor; churches of San Giovanni (wonderful font with bas reliefs by Donatello, Ghiberti, and others) San Domenico, Sant’ Agostino (XIII. cent.), Servite (XV. cent.), San Francesco, San Martino, Fon tegu is to, etc., ail with painting and sculptures by famous Sienese artists; palaces, Publico (municipal palace, XIII. cent., with fine paintings), Tolmei, Buonsignori (XIV. cent.), Marsilii, Spinnochi, Piccolo mini (now containing state archives), Monte de’ Paschi, (XV. cent.); Opera del Duomo (with famous art collection), once celebrated univ. (XIII. cent.), now only faculties of law and medicine; Institute of Fine Arts (with good collection of Sienese school), Fonte Gaia and Fontebranda (fountains). Chief industries are machinery, furniture, leather, silk, cloth, hats, etc. 8. was probably founded by truscans; a Rom. colony, Saena Julia, under August us; one of most important and flourishing cities of Italy in art, lit., and commerce during Middle Ages; continuous strife between S. and Florence during XII. to XIII. cent’s, which ended with defeat of Florentines at Mon taper to, 1260; under Duke of Milan, 1399; Charles V., 1524; pa ed to Cosimo de Medici, 1557, and annexed to Tuscany; great Sienese school of painting arose in XIII., flourished in XIV., and declined in XV. cent. The well-known Pallio dell a Contrada (public festivals), dating back XV. to XVI. cent’s, take place once a year and congist in horse races, formerly bull-fights and buffalo races. Pop. 42,500; (prov.) 245,000. 1916), Pclish novelist, of Lithuanian stock: educated at Warsaw Gymnasium and Univ.; made reputation with short stories and studies of peasant life; awarded Nobel prize for literature (1905); his novels, trans. into English, include With Fire and Sword, The Deluge, Pan Michael, Quo Vadis. and The Field of Glory.