Abbeys and Churches of Tuscany

More about ‘Abbeys and Churches of Tuscany

The Co-cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul at Sovana

Concattedrale dei Santi Pietro e Paolo a Sovana

The Co-cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul at Sovanaknown as "La Concattedrale dei Santi Pietro e Paolo a Sovana" Concattedrale dei Santi Pietro e Paolo a Sovana The Co-cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, known in Italian as La Concattedrale dei Santi Pietro e Paolo, is one of the most important gothic-romanesque churches of Tuscany. [...]

Pieve di San Polo in Rosso

San Polo In Rosso

One of the most photogenic and interesting mediaeval parish churches in an area rich with romanesque parish churches is the Pieve (parish church) of San Polo in Rosso which dates back to the 12 C. The name of the church is mentioned in a donation of 1070 preserved at Badia di Coltibuono where it is referred to as Sancti Pauli Scito Russo

Sant’Emiliano a Borgonuovo near Cortona

The parish church (pieve) of San Mamiliano a Cignano, now known as the church of Sant’Emiliano in Borgonuovo, is located on the Arretine hillside of the Val di Chiana, a short distance from the famous Abbey of Farneta, and was probably built along an important road in the area.

Church of Santi Apostoli

Church of Santi Apostoli Florence

The Church of Santi Apostoli (Holy Apostles) is located in Piazza del Limbo in Florence and dates from the 11 C. It is one of the oldest and historically rich of the churches in Florence. The church of Santi Apostoli is where some of the oldest legends of Florence have their roots and it is central to popular festivals such as the explosion of the cart, earning it the popular nickname of “Old Cathedral of Florence”, despite never having been the Florence’s cathedral.

Church of San Giovanni Maggiore at Borgo San Lorenzo, Tuscany

Church of San Giovanni Maggiore at Borgo San Lorenzo, Tuscany

The Church of San Giovanni Maggiore is located about 3 km away from Borgo San Lorenzo. It can be reached on foot along a cypress-lined pathway. The facade of the church is embellished by a loggia renovated in the 20 C. The bell tower, known as the “Campanile Alberto”, is quite famous.

Pieve di San Giovanni Battista a Sillano

Pieve di San Giovanni Battista a Sillano

Along the road that leads from the small village of San Dalmazio to the Rocca Sillana, not far from Radicondoli and Pomarance, are the remains of the ancient Pieve di San Giovanni Battista di Sillano (Parish Church of St. John the Baptist at Sillana). The church was a large building, which has been abandoned for centuries and is now reduced to a state of ruin.

Sant’Antimo – the Abbey of Sant’Antimo near Montalcino

Abbey of Sant'Antimo

The Abbey of Sant’Antimo (Abbazia di Sant’Antimo) is an extremely beautiful romanesque church and monastery located at in Castelnuovo dell’Abate near (10 km) Montalcino in a lovely rural setting. Sant’Antimo was formerly an important Benedictine monastery in part due to its situation about 9 km from the Via Francigena, the pilgrimmage route to Rome.

Badia a Coltibuono

Badia a coltibuono

Badia a Coltibuono was founded in 1051 by monks of the Benedictine Vallombrosan Order who also began planting the first vineyards in the Upper Chianti area. In 1810, when Tuscany was under Napoleonic rule, the monks were forced to leave Coltibuono and the monastery was deconsecrated and, after passing through a number of hands, was bought by the Stucchi-Prinetti family.

Hermitage of San Salvatore (Holy Redeemer) of Lecceto

Monastery of the Holy Saviour Lecceto

The Monastery of the Holy Saviour at Lecceto in Tuscany, commonly known as the Eremo di Lecceto, was the principal House of the order of the Hermit Friars of Saint Augustine in 1256, when Pope Alexander IV constituted the Augustinian order internationally. It was dedicated to Saint Saviour.

Badia a Passignano

Badiaapassignano

Badia a Passignano. According to tradition, a monastery was founded at Passignano by Sichelmo in 890. An Abbey (Badia) was established 1049 as a consequence of the Vallombrosan monastic reforms, and took the form of a quadrangular fortified structure with corner towers.

Castello di Pierle

Castello di Pierle

The Castello di Pierle (sometimes known as the Rocca di Pierle) is strategically located near the town of Mercatale, in the municipality of Cortona, in the province of Arezzo, Tuscany, and in its prime was one of the most powerful fortresses in the region, since it dominated a unique route between the Val di Chiana, Lake Trasimeno and Valtiberina.

Romanesque Parish Church S. Giorgio in Brancoli

Parish Church of San Giorgio at Bràncoli

The ancient Pieve at Brancoli is one of the most atmospheric mediaeval structures in a Region, Tuscany, that contains a great many of them, and is well worth a visit if you are exploring the environs of Lucca. The Brancoleria, where the church is situated, stretches between the valley and the slopes of Mount Pizzorne, upstream on the Serchio river, approximately 10 km from Lucca.