Origin:

The chapel is part of a complex of buildings and funds called "Antinoro", signifying with this denomination the power exerted for centuries by the Florentine family of the Antinori on a large area in the municipality of Montelupo, between the Arno and the Pisan road, but also on the heights facing the exit of the town of Samminiatello to S. Vito.

"Antinoro" is also the late medieval name of the family, later declined to the plural in the usual formation of Italian surnames.

The complex, only recently brought back to use from the previous prolonged state of dereliction, includes the manor house (however called "Villa Antinori"; destroyed by bombings in the last conflict has been rebuilt for residential use and divided into more than 40 U.I.), the stables (restored and now used as a restaurant), the estate or the castle "Luciano" (the town's name, which was originally used for the area, before being purchased by the Antinori-still partially ruined) , the "Old Chapel" (first original building reserved for worship at the estate’s service – for this reason the chapel in question is also called "New"), as well as various rural buildings (pod. di mezzo, pod. "Pian di Sopra", now for residential and commercial use).

Luciano’s estate was located in a landscaping reality half hilly and half wooded in the Valdarno under Florence,forming an economic-productive reality common to a large part of Tuscany, i.e. the one inclusive of the farm and the estates. Currently the land abreast the Chapel is cultivated with olive trees as it was in the past centuries, producing excellent oil.

This complex was at the beginning property of the Alberti, later of the Frescobaldi, and from these latterswas sold in 1448 to the brothers Bernardo and Antonio of TommasoAntinori.

The Chapel or New Chapel(also called Oratorio dedicated to the SS. The name of Mary), was later edified at the end of a tree-lined avenue, still visible, which connected it to the entrance of the manor house, first curated by Amerigo (it’s assumed in the early years of 1700), enlarged by the son Vincenzio (1722), and finally by the namesake nephew Amerigo (1781), as testified by the two inscriptions reproducedand translated below ; The coat of arms of Antinori’s Family (princes), located in front of the entrance, is dated 1905.

For completeness, in addition to "Palazzo Antinori" of Florence (purchased by Niccolò in 1506), several properties in the surroundings of Florence have the same denomination of"Villa Antinori", testifying the many branches of the offspring, among which it’s necessary to include the most famous villa in the village of Rinaldi, San Martino alla Palma (municipality of Scandicci), as well as in the towns of Cigliano in the municipality of San Casciano in Val di Pesa , and Le Rose in Impruneta).

More recently, the Chapel, no longer consecrated, was used as a deposit at service of the Agricultural Fund (as such classified in the land register C/2) andpurchased by the current ownership from the brothers (Princes) Aldobrandini (John, Camillo, Livia and for shared hereditary part of Mother Luisa von Welczeck; with residences between Frascati-Romewhere the homonymous villa is located, the Siena countryside , Rome and Florence) who received it in inheritance from the grandmother Duchess Maria Antinori (1870-1933 descendant of Antonio-V. followed), wife of Don Giuseppe Aldobrandiniin the 1890.

The forest bordering northwest, residual of the original property, remained to the brother "cadet" Giovanni Aldobrandini. The family of the same name is recallable to the Company’s Management of the Agricultural and Property funds called "Luciano" bordering north, northeast.

The Antinori

The origin of the family is controversial; Some historians believe it descentsfrom Sichelmo, founder of Badia di Passignano (hills south of Florence), and therefore of the same strain of de Buondelmonti; It was also declared ,from other genealogists ,of Lucchese’s origins (west) and of Mercantile class, instead of being original ofVal di Sieve where they owned some castles in the Middle Ages (northeast). Certainly there’s a documented presence in Florence from 1200; among the founders are documented Rinuccio of Antinoro (Castle of Combiate near the Croci di Cadenzano), and Filippo, called Lippo, of Antinoro, living in Florence in 1263 and registered as artist in the Art of Silk in 1280. Other documented activities are the membership of the Corporation ofVinattieri (1293), banking and political-administrative ones, as well as for other patrician families of that time. The family gave threeGonfalonieri and 23 Priors of Freedom to the Republic from 1351 to 1532 and 15 Senators to the Principality from 1532 to 1795. That also includes seven Knights Professed, two of Honor and Devotion and a Grand Prior of Capua of the Order of Malta, one of the Order of Sant'Iago, 14 Knights of Justice, a Great Constable and a Hearing Officer President of the Order of St. Stephen, who, in the last order, founded the Priors of San Miniatoand Pistoia in 1718, of Hungary in 1721, of Orvieto in 1755 , the Baliate of Montesansavinoin 1760 and Montalcino in 1824. It is divided into many branches. One gone into the Kingdom of Naples and extinct in 1735, which was invested in 1522 by the Emperor Charles V of the Baronie of Giurano and of Frattapiccola and four Lordships; In 1634 by King Philip IV of Spain of the Brindisi’s Lordship  , fief elevated to Duchy by King Charles II of Spain in 1666. To the four lines reached by noble reordering Lorraine was recognized in the 1751 the Florentine Patrician. After the unification of Italy under the Kings of Savoy, noble titles were givento the families who gave their contribution; to the Florentine line made famous in the wine sector was given the title of Marquis (which still stands). To the Florentine line of Antonio was renovated the title of Duke of Brindisiin 1866 by King Vittorio Emanuele II. Latter extinct in 1902, the title was transmitted in 1904, by maternal succession (Maria Antinori who married Don Giuseppe Aldobrandiniin 1890) and ,with permission of Vittorio Emanuele III, at the second-born of the family of Princes Aldobrandini, already Bourgeois of Rome.