Parish Church of San Leonardo in Artimino

There are records of the Parish Church of San Leonardo in Artimino from as far back as 998. Initially dedicated to the Virgin and Saint John, it was enlarged at the behest of the Countess of Tuscany Matilda of Canossa in the early 12th century. During the 16th century it was finally dedicated to Saint Leonardo.

The building was owned for many years by the Frescobaldi family, and is a striking example of 11th-century Lombard Romanesque architecture in the Prato area. Its original structures were further enhanced by a restoration in 1971. 

In the masonry below the 16th-century loggia and in the bell tower, there are fragments of figured Etruscan urns which seem to testify to how far back the origins of worship reach here.

The contrast in style with the Gothic vaults of the interior, the three naves and the imposing exterior appearance is quite unusual. The church houses a number of works of merit, such as the statue of St. Leonard in polychrome wood (likely datable to the 14th century), the terracotta "Visitation" from the late Robbiana school, and a wooden statue from the Tuscan school of the 15th century.