Monumental Graveyard in Pisa

The Monumental Graveyard in Pisa is an ancient cemetery located in Piazza dei Miracoli, whose long marble wall bounds its north side.

It was built in 1277 to accommodate the graves that until that time were scattered around the church of the Duomo: at first the sarcophagi were placed in the uncovered central space of the cemetery which, according to tradition, was filled with the holy soil brought from Palestine at the time of the Second Crusade in 1146.

From the fourteenth century onward, the Graveyard has been decorated by the great artists of the time: at the begining with the outstanding cycles of frescoes by Francesco Traini and Bonamico Buffalmacco, who painted the Trionfo della Morte (Triumph of Death) and the Giudizio Universale (Last Judgment).

 Later on the Storie dei Santi Pisani (Stories of the Pisan Saints) by Andrea Bonaiuti, Antonio Veneziano and Spinello Aretino, the Storie di Giobbe (Stories of Jacob) by Taddeo Gaddi and the Storie dell’Antico Testamento (Stories from the Old Testament), which were finished in mid-fifteenth century by Benozzo Gozzoli from Florence, were added.