Parish Church of San Bartolomeo in Tizzana

The Parish Church of San Bartolomeo in Tizzana, in the municipality of Quarrata, is located on the slopes of the Montalbano and is a building that, due to its history as a medieval watch tower, is also a symbol for this fortified village that was long stuck in the middle of fights between Pistoia and Florence.

This church, a cornerstone of life in the village, has a façade with typical Neoclassical characteristics, including an 18th-century porch with three arches. Inside, the space boasts a single nave embellished with four altars, one of which is dedicated to St. Macarius, patron saint of the church, who is depicted in an exquisite statue from the 1800s. The high altar stands out for its sandstone surface, built in the mid-1600s. There arealso two interesting paintings in the presbytery: one portrays the sacrifice of Isaac, while the other, attributed to the Pistoia-based painter Giovanbattista Frassinelli, shows the Virgin Mary seated on the ground.

The most priceless work in the church is without a doubt the organ that still stills in the wooden balcony. The instrument, hand-made by the brothers Luigi and Benedetto Tronci in Pistoia in 1797, vaunts the typical features of the renowned organ makers, including a wooden chamber decorated with elegant plant motifs that wrap around the 27 tin pipes. The organ is still used for some concerts.