Santa Maria is the Roman Catholic, Romanesque-style church, located on Via Moricotti #2 in the town of Vicopisano in the province of Pisa, Tuscany, Italy.
History
This stone church was originally outside the walls of the nearby castle, the Rocca di Vicopisano, hence its description as a pieve or rural parish. Documents make note of a church of this name in Vicopisano by the year 934. The church facade has walled up arches and geometric and floral decorations; while the interior is simple. It has a central nave and two aisles, separated by re-used Ancient Roman columns with Romanesque capitals. The church layout we see today likely dates to the 11th century. The windows are tall and narrow.
The main altar has a wooden sculptural group depicting a deposition from the cross, whose dating is attributed to the 13th-century. At one time the wood was painted. Traces of 13th-century frescoes were discovered behind stone side altars that flanked the aisle.
References
- La patria; geografia dell' Italia, part. 2. Provincia di Massa e Carrara, Luca, Pisa, Livorno, by Gustavo Strafforello (1896); page 194.
- Vicopisano Turismo.
43°42′01″N 10°35′00″E / 43.70025°N 10.58339°E / 43.70025; 10.58339
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