Description of the attraction
Santa Maria della Pieve is an old church in Arezzo, Tuscany. The first mentions of it are found in a document of 1008, and during the existence of the commune of Arezzo, it was a stronghold of the struggle of the townspeople against the bishops. After the Cathedral and the Episcopal Palace (Palazzo Vescovile) were built by order of one of the bishops, Santa Maria della Pieve, already rebuilt by that time, was once again restored (with particular emphasis on the facade and apse), and its interior in The 13th century was made in the Gothic style. The bell tower, built by 1330, is made in the Romanesque style.
The most memorable feature of Santa Maria della Pieve is the façade with a five-arch lower tier topped with three loggias and a row of columns of different heights. The columns and their capitals are different from each other, and one of them is even a statue. The current decoration of the facade was made in the 12th century, as the original church had no distinctive features.
The central portal of the temple has an entrance with a cylindrical vault and a lunette with a bas-relief depicting the Praying Virgin Mary and the angels. Below the bas-relief is a frieze with small angels and Marchionne's initials. And on the vault, images of the months of the year of the Benedetto Antelami school are visible. Two side portals, smaller in size, also have decorated lunettes - they depict the Baptism of Christ and floral ornaments.
The apse, rebuilt in the 13th century, is notable for two rows of loggias, which resemble the structure of a church façade, and vaulted windows. In general, the interior of Santa Maria della Pieve consists of a high central nave and two side chapels, separated by elongated pointed arches, the columns of which are decorated with Corinthian capitals. At the main throne you can see the Tarlati Polyptych depicting the Madonna and Saints by Pietro Lorenzetti and fragments of frescoes depicting Saints Dominic and Francis attributed to Andrea di Nerlo. The crypt contains a bust of St. Donatus, made in 1346.
The powerful bell tower with five rows of vaulted windows deserves special attention. Inside there is a baptistery with a baptismal font dating from the 14th century.
