Giuliano Briganti Library and Photo Library

The portion of the museum complex known as Palazzo Squarcialupi is the result of restoration efforts and the definition of spaces that, starting from the mid-14th century, were designated for the reception of women and abandoned children. At the level of Piazza Duomo, the large Womens’s Pilgrim Shelter opens up, which could be accessed by passing through a chapel covered by cross vaults, the walls of which featured frescoes by Martino di Bartolomeo, Pietro di Domenico, and Andrea di Bartolo. The work intensified throughout the 15th century, and by the end of the century, the female wing of the hospital resembled an internal convent with separate rooms according to various functions, the age of the women (or girls), and the services provided to the community. The sector was equipped with a loggia and a courtyard that included a cistern, a garden, a kitchen, a weaving room, and dormitories with windows covered by shutters. In the following centuries, it did not undergo significant transformations; only at the beginning of the 17th century was a large well, known as Pozzo Chigi, built by Rector Agostino Chigi, located in the center of the courtyard behind the Womens’s Pilgrim Shelter, from which access to the upper levels is possible: to the left towards the VI and VII levels, currently dedicated to temporary exhibitions and conferences, respectively, and to the right to the V level. The latter, consisting of a series of rooms overlooking the 16th-century internal courtyard, now houses the Giuliano Briganti Library and Photo Archive. Originally, these spaces were part of the women's accommodations, while in more modern times they were converted into a residence for the nuns who lived there until the 1970s. Subsequently, they were designated as administrative offices until the hospital was moved to its new location outside the city walls.