ABSTRACT
Study of the origins and history of the Augustinian Hermits in Tuscany has demonstrated that many of the Order’s oldest foundations began as isolated communities of hermits in the countryside to the south and west of Siena.2 After obtaining a number of important papal concessions during the thirteenth century, this newly formed mendicant Order established itself not only in Siena but also in other towns within the Sienese contado. In such locations, the Augustinian Hermits built churches, priories and convents that often rivalled those founded by earlier mendicant orders, such as the Franciscans and dominicans.
