Parish Church in Gropina
One of the best examples of Romanesque architecture in Tuscany
The Church of San Pietro, or the Parish Church in Gropina, is located about 2 kilometres from Loro Ciuffenna, on via dei Sette Ponti in the direction of San Giustino, and is one of the best examples of Romanesque culture in Tuscany.
The Parish Church was built around the year 1000 and its façade is characterized by large blocks of stone, with two single-lancet windows corresponding to the side aisles and a double-lancet window above the entrance portal. On the door’s architrave is the date 1422, probably a reference to one of the restorations; Leo X’s coat of arms found above the architrave depicts the date 1522.
The interior is divided into three naves, each with bizarre capitals: episodes of the Old and New Testament can be found on the columns to the left, and on the right, figures recalling Pre-Christian, Etruscan and Eastern art.
Attached to a column in the right aisle is the richly decorated and circular pulpit dating to the 8th century, supported by two knotted columns, a design that can also be seen in the central column of the apse’s exterior decoration. Indeed, the exterior side of the apse is quite beautiful and is flanked by a bell tower from 1233 that was possibly built atop a Lombard tower.
