San Pietro a Grado
Encyclopedia
San Piero a Grado is a church in Pisa
, Tuscany
, Italy
, in the eponymous frazione
. The church is located where once was a now disappeared port of the Pisan Republic, where, according to the legend, St. Peter landed in Italy from Antiochia
in 44 AD.
s the facade, probably built after the crumbling of the facade due to a flood of the Arno river. The entrance is on the northern side.
The exterior, made of stone of different provenance, is marked by pilaster strips and arches over which are precious ceramic basins (the originals are in the National Museum of St. Matthew in Pisa) of Islamic, Majorca and Sicilian manufacture decorated with geometrical and figurative motifs (10th-11th centuries).
The 12th century bell tower was destroyed in 1944. Only the base has been rebuilt.
The large and solemn interior, with truss ceiling, is divided into a nave and two aisles by antique columns with classical capitals. In the western part is a Gothic
ciborium
(early 15th century) which marks the place where Peter would pray for the first time.
On the walls of the nave is a large fresco cycle, recently restored, by the Lucchese
Deodato Orlandi (early 14th century), which was commissioned by the Caetani
family for the 1300 jubilee
. In the lower part are Portraits of Popes, from St. Peter to John XVIII
(1303); the intermediate portion has thirty panels with Histories of St. Peter's Life (as well of those of St. Paul, Constantine and St. Sylvester), similar to those in the Old St. Peter's Basilica and to Cimabue
's work at San Francesco in Assisi
. In the upper area are portrayed the Walls of the Heaven City, largely restored in the following centuries.
On the high altar is a wooden crucifix from the 17th century.
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
, Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, in the eponymous frazione
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
. The church is located where once was a now disappeared port of the Pisan Republic, where, according to the legend, St. Peter landed in Italy from Antiochia
Antiochia
Antiochia or Antiocheia or Antiochea or Antiokheia may refer any of several Hellenistic cities in the Near East most, of which were founded or rebuilt by the several rulers named Antiochus during the Seleucid Empire:*Antioch , now Antakya, Turkey**Principality of Antiochia, a...
in 44 AD.
History and overview
Archaeological excavations have shown the presence of a Palaeo-Christian edifice in the area, built over civil Roman structures, which was later replaced by a larger church in the early Middle Ages (8th-9th centuries). The current construction, begun in the 10th century and renovated in the late 11th-early 12th centuries, has a basilica plan with a nave and two aisles. Unusual is the presence of an apseApse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
s the facade, probably built after the crumbling of the facade due to a flood of the Arno river. The entrance is on the northern side.
The exterior, made of stone of different provenance, is marked by pilaster strips and arches over which are precious ceramic basins (the originals are in the National Museum of St. Matthew in Pisa) of Islamic, Majorca and Sicilian manufacture decorated with geometrical and figurative motifs (10th-11th centuries).
The 12th century bell tower was destroyed in 1944. Only the base has been rebuilt.
The large and solemn interior, with truss ceiling, is divided into a nave and two aisles by antique columns with classical capitals. In the western part is a Gothic
Gothic art
Gothic art was a Medieval art movement that developed in France out of Romanesque art in the mid-12th century, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, but took over art more completely north of the Alps, never quite effacing more classical...
ciborium
Ciborium (architecture)
In ecclesiastical architecture, a ciborium is a canopy or covering supported by columns, freestanding in the sanctuary, that stands over and covers the altar in a basilica or other church. It may also be known by the more general term of baldachin, though ciborium is often considered more correct...
(early 15th century) which marks the place where Peter would pray for the first time.
On the walls of the nave is a large fresco cycle, recently restored, by the Lucchese
Lucca
Lucca is a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plainnear the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca...
Deodato Orlandi (early 14th century), which was commissioned by the Caetani
Caetani
Caetani, or Gaetani, is the name of an Italian noble family princely family which played a great part in the history of Pisa and of Rome, principally via their close links to the papacy.-Origins:...
family for the 1300 jubilee
Jubilee (Christian)
The concept of the Jubilee is a special year of remission of sins and universal pardon. In the Biblical Book of Leviticus, a Jubilee year is mentioned to occur every fifty years, in which slaves and prisoners would be freed, debts would be forgiven and the mercies of God would be particularly...
. In the lower part are Portraits of Popes, from St. Peter to John XVIII
Pope John XVIII
Pope John XVIII was Pope in Pisa from 1004 to 1009. He was born Fasanius at Rapagnano, near Ascoli Piceno, the son of a Roman priest named Leo....
(1303); the intermediate portion has thirty panels with Histories of St. Peter's Life (as well of those of St. Paul, Constantine and St. Sylvester), similar to those in the Old St. Peter's Basilica and to Cimabue
Cimabue
Cimabue , also known as Bencivieni di Pepo or in modern Italian, Benvenuto di Giuseppe, was an Italian painter and creator of mosaics from Florence....
's work at San Francesco in Assisi
Assisi
- Churches :* The Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi is a World Heritage Site. The Franciscan monastery, il Sacro Convento, and the lower and upper church of St Francis were begun immediately after his canonization in 1228, and completed in 1253...
. In the upper area are portrayed the Walls of the Heaven City, largely restored in the following centuries.
On the high altar is a wooden crucifix from the 17th century.