The Complete Guide to Tuscany | Pisa | Chiesa di San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno | Podere Santa Pia, Holiday house in the south of Tuscany

The Complete Guide to Tuscany | Pisa | San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno

San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno is one of the most beautiful places in Pisa, and every traveller should stop here. It is one of the most outstanding Romanesque churches in Tuscany. Legend says that on the riverbank here, Pier delle Vigne, a very famous poet, committed suicide after the false accusation of betrayal by his lord Frederick II. The Church of San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno was founded in 803, and was formerly called ''Duomo Vecchio'' (old cathedral) on account of the function it fulfilled before the completion of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta in the Field of Miracles, was founded between the 9th and 10th centuries.The inside of the church is very simple and suggestive. Admire the Roman Sarcophagus located above the left-hand side door which hosts the body of the famous philologist Burgundio (13th century).

The church

Reports of the founding of the church trace to around 925, but by 1032, a church structure existed. By 1092, the church was annexed to a monastery of the Vallumbrosan monks and, later to a hospital 1147.
The building was modified in the 11th-12th centuries in a style similar to that of the Duomo, being reconsecrated by Pope Eugene II in 1148.
Since 1409 the building complex was given to the administration of the cardinal Landolfo di Marramauro, then since 1552 was given to the Grifoni family and, after 1565 to the Holy Order of St. Stephen. After his suppression, in 1798 the church become a Parish.
In 1853 the building underwent some significant reconstruction, directed by Pietro Bellini, which aimed to restore its romanesque origins. During the Second World War, this church, like many in Pisa, suffered damage. Restoration efforts were pursued in 1949- 1952. In the course of this work, the buildings in the back were demolished, restoring the small Sant'Agata chapel to its original free-standing state.

The exterior has bichrome marble bands which re-use Roman stones. The façade, designed in the 12th century , but completed in 14th maybe by Giovanni Pisano, has two corps with pilaster strips, blind arches, marble intarsias and three orders of loggias in the upper section.
The interior is on the Latin cross plan with a nave and two aisles divided by columns in Elban granite, an apse and a dome on the crossing with the transept. It houses a 13th century Crucifix on panel, frescoes by Buonamico Buffalmacco and a Madonna with Saints by Turino Vanni (14th century), but most of all a 2nd century Roman sarcophagus used as medieval tomb. The relief on this sarcophagus was used as a model by both Nicola Pisano and his pupil Arnolfo di Cambio.

Pisa, San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno

Sant'Agata Chapel

Pisa, San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno and the St. Agatha Chapel
Behind the church is the St. Agatha Chapel, a small Romanesque chapel built around 1063 by the monks. It was connected to the church by edifices which were demolished after World War II. This little octagonal chapel is just behind San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno and it dates back to the 11th century, when the Pisans had it built to celebrate their victory over the Palermitans It is an octagonal structure in brickwork, featuring pilasters, arches including mullioned windows and an unusual pyramidal cusp. The interior houses remains of 12th century wall decorations.

Address: Piazza San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno, Lungarno Sonnino, 56125 Pisa (PI) The Church of San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno is open to the public during mass.
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Pisa \| Sant'Antonio: Historical Quarter in Mezzogiorno Mazzini’s House is a museum, situated in the former house of the Nathan-Rosselli family, situated in Via Mazzini, 71. Here, Giuseppe Mazzini lived until his death, and the building is now also the seat of a Centre for Mazzinian Studies, a very important library rich in original documents relating to the Italian Risorgimento, the period that lead to the unification of the nation. Explore the little medieval streets behind Corso Italia: they are a perfect example of medieval architecture. Back on the Lungarno, after Palazzo Gambacorti, heading south, there is a very ancient church, Santa Cristina and opposite the church, there are the ruins of an old building. That was the house where Saint Catherine of Siena lived in Pisa and in the Church of Santa Cristina she received the stigmata. The Lungarno Gambacorti has a number of interesting buildings. Many of them are a perfect example of the typical Pisan Tower Houses, which were cut off by the Florentines after they conquered the city. You will soon see the little white marble Church of Santa Maria della Spina along side of the river. The name comes from the relic that was once kept in the church, one of the thorns from Christ's Crown, now preserved in the Church of Santa Chiara, inside the University Hospital. The statue of the Holy Virgin with the baby on the highest spire is by Nicola Pisano, although this is only a copy. The original has been moved to the national Museum of San Matteo. A few steps past the gothic church is Ponte Solferino (Solferino Bridge), which marks the beginning of Lungarno Sonnino. This stretch of Lungarno between the bridge and the Porta a Mare City Gate (literally Gate leading to the sea), hosts two of the most interesting buildings in Pisa: the former Benedictine Monastery with the little church of Saint Benedict (1393), which now belongs to the bank Cassa di Risparmio di Pisa, and the beautiful church of San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno standing in a tree lined square and a very nice garden. San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno is one of the most beautiful places in Pisa. Legend says that on the riverbank here, Pier delle Vigne, a very famous poet, committed suicide after the false accusation of betrayal by his lord Frederick II. San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno was founded in 803 and it is also known as Duomo Vecchio (Old Cathedral). The inside of the church is very simple and suggestive. Admire the Roman Sarcophagus located above the left-hand side door which hosts the body of the famous philologist Burgundio (13th century). The Chapel of Saint Agata is a little octagonal chapel, just behind San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno. The chapel dates back to the 11th century, when the Pisans had it built to celebrate their victory over the Palermitans From the Porta a Mare, a perfectly preserved gate, the Florentines entered Pisa at the beginning of the 14th century and conquered the city. The historical Quarter of Sant'Antonio ends at the bridge called Ponte della Cittadella. If you cross the bridge you enter the historical quarter of Santa Maria. [Source: www.behindthetower.com]

This page uses material from the Wikipedia article San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno , Buonamico Buffalmacco and Pisa, published under the GNU Free Documentation License. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pisa. and San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno.