In Italy in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, a ''pieve'' (, ; ; : ''pievi'') was a rural church with a

baptistery In Church architecture, Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek language, Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned ...

, upon which other churches without baptisteries depended. ''Pieve'' is also an Italian and Corsican term signifying the medieval ecclesiastical/administrative territory of its the mother church. It has thus become a common component of both place names and of the names of churches. The

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

word is descended from

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

plebs In ancient Rome, the plebeians or plebs were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words "commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins of the gro ...

'' which, after the expansion of Christianity in Italy, was applied to the community of baptized people. Many ''pievi'' began to appear in the 5th century, as Christianity expanded in the rural areas outside the main cities. In the 9th-10th centuries, they were often designed with

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

Churches in Italy

Churches in Italy described as a pieve include: * Pieve di Sant'Andrea in Buggiano, Province of Pistioa, Tuscany * Pieve di Sant'Andrea (Pistoia), in Pistoia, Province of Pistioa, Tuscany

Places in Italy

Places in Italy called Pieve include: * Città della Pieve, a commune in the Province of Perugia, Umbria * Pieve a Nievole, a commune in the Province of Pistoia, Tuscany * Pieve Albignola, a commune in the Province of Pavia, Lombardy * Pieve d'Alpago, a commune in the Province of Belluno, Veneto * Pieve del Cairo, a commune in the Province of Pavia, Lombardy * Pieve di Bono, a commune in the Province of Trento, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol * Pieve di Cadore, a commune in the Province of Belluno, Veneto *

Pieve di Cento Pieve di Cento ( Bolognese: ; "parish of Cento") is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about north of Bologna. History The origins of the town date back to the upper ...

, a commune in the Province of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna * Pieve di Coriano, a commune in the Province of Mantua, Lombardy * Pieve di Ledro, a former commune in the Province of Trento, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol * Pieve di Livinallongo, seat of the commune of

Livinallongo del Col di Lana Livinallongo del Col di Lana (; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Belluno in the Italy, Italian region Veneto, located about north of Venice and about northwest of Belluno. Ninety percent of the population speak Ladin l ...

in the Province of Belluno, Veneto * Pieve di Soligo, a commune in the Province of Treviso, Veneto * Pieve di Teco, a commune in the Province of Imperia, Liguria * Pieve d'Olmi, a commune in the Province of Cremona, Lombardy * Pieve Emanuele, a commune in the Province of Milan, Lombardy * Pieve Fissiraga, a commune in the Province of Lodi, Lombardy *

Pieve Fosciana Pieve Fosciana is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lucca in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northwest of Florence and about north of Lucca. Pieve Fosciana borders the following municipalities: Camporgiano, Castelnuovo d ...

, a commune in the Province of Lucca, Tuscany * Pieve Ligure, a commune in the Province of Genoa, Liguria * Pieve Porto Morone, a commune in the Province of Pavia, Lombardy * Pieve San Giacomo, a commune in the Province of Cremona, Lombardy * Pieve Santo Stefano, a commune in the Province of Arezzo, Tuscany * Pieve Tesino, a commune in the Province of Trento, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol * Pieve Torina, a commune in the Province of Macerata, Marche *

Pieve Vergonte Pieve Vergonte is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Piedmont region of Italy. It is about northwest of Verbania and northeast of Turin. Physical Geography Pieve Vergonte is located in Ossola Valley, lo ...

, a commune in the Province of Verbano Cusio Ossola, Piedmont Church architecture Architecture in Italy Catholic Church in Italy {{Church-architecture-stub