Parish Church of Santa Maria in Diecimo
A place of worship dating to the 10th century CE in the municipality of Borgo a Mozzano
The Parish Church of Santa Maria in Diecimo, in the municipality of Borgo a Mozzano, built between the 12th and 13th centuries, vaunts three naves and originally had a semi-circular apse. The bell tower, separated from the church, was built in the Middle Ages.
In the 1200s, the church’s jurisdiction also encompassed 21 religious buildings throughout the territory and was governed by the Bishop of Lucca.
In the 1600s, the parish church was renovated to fall in line with the precepts of the Counter-Reformation and the Baroque style: vaulted ceilings replaced the trussed ceiling and the medieval single lancet windows were running down the nave exchanged for rectangular windows. A rectangular chapel on the southern side of the church was also added around this time.
In the early 1700s, the church passed into the hands of the Republic of Lucca. Renovations carried out in the 19th and 20th centuries restored the building’s medieval appearance, removing the changes made in the 1600s. This included bringing back the original lancet windows.
Some of the things worth seeing inside the church include a stone slab depicting a knight made in the 12th century, the 13th-century baptismal font, the holy water font, the 15th-century frescoes and the 17th-century pulpit.
