Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide The Baptistery of San Giovanni is one of the main religious monuments in Pisa‘s Piazza dei Miracoli, officially known as Piazza del Duomo. It stands in front of the western façade of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, south of the Camposanto Monumentale, and close to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The Baptistery of San Giovanni belongs to the monumental complex that defines medieval Pisa: Cathedral, Baptistery, Bell Tower, and Camposanto. Its position is not accidental. The baptistery was placed opposite the Cathedral because baptism marked the beginning of Christian life, before the faithful entered the cathedral community. The Baptistery of San Giovanni is also one of the clearest examples of Pisa’s long medieval building history. Its lower structure is Romanesque, while its upper levels show Gothic additions. The monument therefore records more than two centuries of construction, artistic change, technical ambition, and civic identity. Unlike the Leaning Tower, the Baptistery is often admired quietly rather than theatrically. Yet it is one of the most important monuments in the square. It is the largest baptistery in the world, a major work of medieval architecture, and home to one of the most influential pulpits in Italian sculpture. Read more [...]
Tag: Giovanni Pisano in Pisa
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the freestanding bell tower of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Pisa. It stands in Piazza del Duomo, the monumental religious square also known as Piazza dei Miracoli. The tower is famous worldwide for its unintended tilt, caused by unstable ground beneath its foundation. Although it is usually treated as an independent monument, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was built as part of the cathedral complex. Its function was religious and practical, not defensive. The seven bells at the top marked liturgical moments, public time, and ceremonies connected with the life of the cathedral and the city. Piazza del Duomo has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. The square includes the cathedral, the Baptistery of San Giovanni, the Camposanto, the Opera del Duomo Museum, the Sinopie Museum, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Together, these monuments form one of the most important medieval architectural ensembles in Italy. Today, the Leaning Tower is not only a symbol of Pisa, but also a major example of medieval engineering, structural risk, and modern conservation. Its survival is the result of long construction pauses, later corrections, and major stabilization works carried Read more [...]
Church of San Paolo a Ripa d’Arno
The Church of San Paolo a Ripa d’Arno (Saint Paul on the Bank of the Arno), is a Romanesque-style church in Pisa, located on the Lungarno Sidney Sonnino, in the homonymous square. SHORT HISTORY The church was built around the year 925, and is attested in documents dating back to 1032. The associated convent was documented since 1147. The church and the monastery belonged to the Benedictine monks until 1092, when it was given to the Vallumbrosan monks. In the mid-12th century, it was enlarged in similar forms to the contemporary Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. Later, the church and the monastery were entrusted to the cardinal Landolfo Marramauro and, in the 16th century, it was assigned to the Order of the Knights of Saint Stephen. After the suppression of the order, the church became a parish. In the 19th century, several restorations were made, but the building suffered some damage during the Second World War and was therefore restored again between 1949 and 1952. Just as a result of the post-war interventions, most of the buildings adjacent to the church were demolished. In 2012, it was closed due to precarious conditions. Restoration started in October 2016, thanks to Read more [...]
Church of Santa Maria della Spina
The Church of Santa Maria della Spina is a small Gothic church in Pisa, located on the southern bank of the river Arno. The title della Spina (of the Thorn) comes from a thorn of the crown placed on Christ during his Crucifixion, which was brought to the church in 1333, but is kept in the Church of Santa Chiara since the 19th century. SHORT HISTORY The church was built in 1230 by the Gualandi family, and it was originally called Santa Maria di Pontenovo, because of a nearby bridge across the Arno River that connected Via Sant’Antonio to Via Santa Maria, collapsed in the 15th century. Between 1323 and 1376, enlargement works were made, probably under the direction of the architect Lupo di Francesco. Starting with the 5th decade of the 15th century, the works were supervised by the architect Andrea Pisano and his son, Nino. After the unification of Italy, the city council and a commission formed by members of the Academy of Fine Arts decided to dismantle and rebuild the church on a higher ground. The works, led by the architect Vincenzo Micheli, started in 1871 and were completed in 1875. This intervention moved the building Read more [...]
