Description
The church of San Zeno stands in piazza San Zeno, in the northeast corner of Pisa's center, just inside the gate of the same name. It is a 12th-century Romanesque church, built with ancient materials and on top of even older buildings.
In the Middle Ages this area was called "alle grotte." The grottoes were ancient structures, perhaps of a Roman amphitheater, which the Pisans used as a quarry for building material. San Zeno is full of them: Roman-era reuse is visible everywhere.
The façade, on the south side, is preceded by a projecting porch with an open portico, supported by pillars and a central column.
It was heavily reworked in a 20th-century restoration. Below there are fragments of Roman marble and blind arcades with lozenges and oculi. Above, mullioned windows are framed by small arches with the same patterns of circles and diamonds.
Don't miss the seven Islamic ceramic bowls of the 11th century that decorate the front: they are copies, the originals are in the Museo di San Matteo. Of the marble ones only the circular seats remain visible.
Inside, the church has three naves marked by alternating columns and pillars. Several reused Roman capitals support the arches. Scant remains of medieval wall paintings survive. On the more recent façade opens a large oculus, topped by a 15th-century archbishop's coat of arms.
The church is mentioned from 1029 and belonged to an abbey, at first run by the Benedictines. In the 12th century it was used by Camaldolese monks, and until the 15th century it had a hospital beside it.
Beneath the walls lay something even older. 20th-century excavations found the foundations of a building with three naves and three apses. Parts of those structures are built into the present church: the oldest phase dates back to before the year 1000.
In the Middle Ages this area was called "alle grotte." The grottoes were ancient structures, perhaps of a Roman amphitheater, which the Pisans used as a quarry for building material. San Zeno is full of them: Roman-era reuse is visible everywhere.
The façade, on the south side, is preceded by a projecting porch with an open portico, supported by pillars and a central column.
It was heavily reworked in a 20th-century restoration. Below there are fragments of Roman marble and blind arcades with lozenges and oculi. Above, mullioned windows are framed by small arches with the same patterns of circles and diamonds.
Don't miss the seven Islamic ceramic bowls of the 11th century that decorate the front: they are copies, the originals are in the Museo di San Matteo. Of the marble ones only the circular seats remain visible.
Inside, the church has three naves marked by alternating columns and pillars. Several reused Roman capitals support the arches. Scant remains of medieval wall paintings survive. On the more recent façade opens a large oculus, topped by a 15th-century archbishop's coat of arms.
The church is mentioned from 1029 and belonged to an abbey, at first run by the Benedictines. In the 12th century it was used by Camaldolese monks, and until the 15th century it had a hospital beside it.
Beneath the walls lay something even older. 20th-century excavations found the foundations of a building with three naves and three apses. Parts of those structures are built into the present church: the oldest phase dates back to before the year 1000.