Sansepolcro, formerlyBorgo Santo Sepolcro, is a town andcomune founded in the 11th century, located in the ItalianProvince of Arezzo in the eastern part of the region ofTuscany.
Today, the economy of the town is based on agriculture, industrial manufacturing,food processing and pharmaceuticals. It is the home ofBuitoni pasta, founded by Giulia Buitoni in 1827.
According to tradition the founding of the town came about through two 9th-century pilgrims to theHoly Land, Arcanus and Giles. They returned to the region and built a chapel dedicated toSaint Leonard, where they established a monastic way of life. The ruins of the chapel were built upon in the construction of the currentCathedral of Sansepolcro.
The first historical mentions of Sansepolcro date to 1012, referring to the construction of the monastery, around which acommune began to develop. The settlement was declared amarket town by the EmperorConrad II, Holy Roman Emperor.[4] The abbey chose to affiliate with themonks of theCamaldolese Order, based in the area, in the following century. During the conflicts between theGuelfs and Ghibellines, the town's factions were headed by prominent local families, including the Pichi, Bercordati, Graziani and Bacci.[5]
It last came under control of thePapal States. The local dialect derives from those of the Citta' di Castello and later of the Casentino valley. In 1367Pope Urban V gave the town and its surroundingcontrada to theMalatesta family,whose heirs ruled it until control was assumed by theRepublic of Florence in the 15th century with the approval ofPope Eugene IV. It was raised to the rank of a city a century later byPope Leo X.
