A closer look into Santa Maria della Spina
- Clizia Macchi
- Jul 30
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 31
Unveiling the main artworks, their masters, the link with contemporary art (and a few memories)
The location of "The Raft of Art and Poetry" by Luca Macchi was so unique that I though it deserved special attention and its own blog post.
Having studied in Pisa, I remember looking at this tiny Gothic church on the banks of the Arno with a lot of curiosity as I was walking in between lectures. Of course, at the time I never thought about going to check it out: to my defense, it's very possible that it was closed for a while, or at least not regularly open to the public. Also, growing up in Italy one really becomes so used to ancient monuments that it's often difficult to notice them. I thank the long years of living abroad for this new found sensibility: appreciating every single bit of art in my own country.
Fast forward to January 2025, no need to say that I was absolutely thrilled to look after the communication and some of the operational aspects of an exhibition that was going to be held in this very church.
I could finally open its doors - literally: the person responsible for the space left the ancient, heavy key for the whole duration of the exhibition - and step inside.
Every moment spent in Santa Maria della Spina was made special by the intimate atmosphere and the golden ray of lights flickering through the windows, making the marble glow, almost bringing the statues to life.
While there, the desire to write more in detail about the church immediately came to mind. I gathered the information from the banner inside the church and other official sources such as Pisa Turismo.
I hope you will find the history of this lovely church as interesting as I did.
History and Exteriors
On the edge of the Arno, almost like a delicate stone ship ready to set sail, stands the tiny but extraordinary Church of Santa Maria della Spina. Built in 1230 as a simple oratory to hold a relic of Christ’s crown of thorns, it was later transformed into one of the finest
examples of Pisan Gothic. Its name, “della Spina,” refers to that sacred relic, once kept here and now preserved in the Church of Santa Chiara.
Although modest in size, the church is a masterpiece of refined detail.
The façade is adorned with graceful spires, rose windows, and an intricate display of marble inlays. Most of the original sculptures that once decorated the exterior have been moved for preservation to the Museo Nazionale di San Matteo, but copies still animate the surface. Among the artists who worked on the church were some of the greatest Gothic sculptors of Pisa: Lupo di Francesco and his sons, and later Andrea Pisano, who had been influenced by Giotto’s art in Florence. Their workshops created the statues of angels, apostles, and saints that once stood proudly along the façade and pinnacles.
The front of the church is a visual tapestry.
Two elegant portals are topped by arches, and above them a tabernacle shelters a delicate Madonna and Child attributed to Giovanni Pisano.
Higher up, three triangular pediments are decorated with rose windows and intricate carvings, culminating in statues of the Redeemer and the Annunciation.
At the corners stand angels sculpted by Lupo di Francesco. The sides of the church repeat this harmony of mullioned windows and tympanums, while the back is punctuated by symbols of the Evangelists and statues of saints. In contrast, the side facing the river is completely bare, a silent wall turned towards the flowing water.
Interior: a quiet atmosphere
Stepping inside, the atmosphere is strikingly simpler.
The rich ornamentation of the exterior gives way to a single nave with a wooden trussed ceiling, repainted during the 19th-century restorations. Many of the furnishings have been lost over the centuries, yet one treasure remains: the Madonna of the Rose, a tender and graceful sculpture by Andrea and Nino Pisano created between 1345 and 1348. Once richly painted and gilded, it still preserves traces of its original colors.
Other works once housed here, like the Madonna of the Milk, are now kept in the Museo di San Matteo,
A beautiful marble tabernacle by Stagio Stagi, built in 1534 to safeguard the relic of the thorn, still adorns the left wall, while opposite the entrance stands a 16th-century altar by Girolamo da Carrara.
Today, although still consacrated, Santa Maria della Spina is owned by the Municipality of Pisa and hosts temporary exhibitions.
La Zattera dell'Arte e della Poesia by Luca Macchi could not have had a more suitable location.
Photo Gallery
Sources:
Free printed material available inside the church
Photo credits:
Clizia Macchi, Flavia Macchi
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