Parish church of St. Lorenzo in Signa

The Parish church of St. Lorenzo is an ancient church in Signa, first mentioned in a document from 886, but certainly of older origins, as evidenced by the results of the archeological surveys carried out in recent years. There was probably a burial ground in the area dating from the 4th-6th centuries, due to the presence of "cappuccina*" and amphora tombs, which were found during recent restorations.

The church has a single nave, a square-based Romanesque bell tower with elegant mullioned windows with two lights, and an interior richly decorated with frescoes by the Florentine school. These include numerous figures of saints by Pietro Nelli and Jacopo Cione, dating from the second half of the 14th century, as indicated by the date (1366) that can be read in the frame depicting St. Julian and St. Catherine of Alexandria. These are joined by several works by the Master of Barberino and a striking Madonna della Misericordia (our Lady of Mercy) frescoed in the late 13th century by Corso di Buono, a pupil of Cimabue.

Worthy of note are also the large Romanesque pulpit with inlaid slabs of white and green marble, now leaning against the wall at the end of the nave, and the detached tabernacle by the Maestro di Signa, a pupil of Bicci di Lorenzo, depicting the Madonna with Child between St. Miniato and St. John made between 1450 and 1460 at a house in the area.

The interior houses the tomb of the revered Blessed Joan, whose relics are kept in the Parish Church of St. John.