Santa Maria della Spina, originally referred to as Santa Maria di Pontenovo, is yet another noteworthy religious landmark the main merit of which referring to the fact that the church stands out as one of the finest expressions of the Gothic style. Indeed, the edifice does not impress by its dimensions, but by its architectural formula and by its outer artistic decorative elements which range from mere cusps, tympana and tabernacles to sundry sculptures conceived by Andrea Pisano, Nino Pisano, Tommaso Pisano, Lupo di Francesco and Giovanni di Balduccio. Unlike this lush exterior, the interior of Santa Maria della Spina is quite austere, but nonetheless worth exploring.

A curiosity as to this establishment is that the nowadays Santa Maria della Spina does not stand on the original place it was built on in 1230, the church being disjointed and subsequently reassembled on a higher level as a result of its being endangered by the menacing infiltrating water of River Arno. Also, the name of the current establishment is owed to the legend of a thorn allegedly pertaining to the thorn crown worn by Jesus, which was brought to Santa Maria during the 14th century.

Name:
Santa Maria della Spina
Address:
Lungarno Gambacorti, Pisa, Italy
Telephone number:
0039 (0)50 910 350