San Pietro Vinculis Church, Pisa

Although the San Pietro Vinculis is a simple, somewhat austere church, you shouldn’t miss visiting it for its ancient crypt. The church was built in the Romanesque style in 1118 by Buscheto, commissioned by the Augustinian monks. The façade comprises blind arches between pilaster strips, topped by occuli and lozenge forms. You will notice that the bell tower’s architecture isn’t the same as the church; this is because it predates the church and was once a civil watch-tower. The rectory was added much later. The interior has a single nave with two aisles and apses with the remains of early frescoes and a magnificent 13th century “Crucifix” painted on a wooden panel. The rectory has frescoes that date back to the 13th and 15th centuries. The church’s stucco work was carried out in the 18th century.

The crypt is to be found under the paved inlaid floor near the main altar. Before the church was built, the site was occupied by an early Christian temple that in turn had been built on the remains of a temple to Apollo. It has groin vaults with Roman capitals. You can see the remains of the original frescoes and an elaborately carved Roman sarcophagus.