San Francesco de'Ferri Church, Pisa

San Francesco de’Ferri church is beautiful and should be on your “must see” list while you are visiting Pisa. The original church probably dated back to the early 11th century but it was first recorded in 1233 because it was falling into ruin and there was a question of whether to shore it up or pull it down. In 1261 the archbishop Federico Visconti commissioned Giovanni di Simone to build a new church on the site, and because it was next to a Franciscan monastery, he gave the management of it to the monks.

When it was finished the church was used by the nobility as a private place of worship and they decorated it, adding or removing artifacts according to whim. The church received its marble façade in 1603 and the interior was remodeled not long after. It has a single nave with no aisles; the large space is relatively empty but for the wooden seating area in front of the altar and pulpit. Behind the altar are three magnificent stained glass windows. Although the floor space might be rather bare, the walls are not and you can admire paintings by Santi di Tito, Empoli and Passignano. The frescoes in the transept were executed by Gaddi in 1342. Other frescoes in the transept were done in the 20th century by Chini. In the Chapter Hall are frescoes and sinopias painted in 1392 by Gerini. The sacristy is decorated with frescoes painted by Taddeo di Bartolo in 1397.