Camaiore - Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta 01

Santa Maria Assunta is a mixed Romanesque and

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...

-style,

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

parish church, with the facade on Piazza San Bernadino da Siena in the town center of

Camaiore Camaiore is a city and ''comune'' of 32,513 inhabitants within the province of Lucca, Tuscany, central-western Italy. It stretches from the Apuan Alps to the east, to the plains and the coast of Versilia to the west. History Camaiore has Roman or ...

in the

province of Lucca The province of Lucca () is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Lucca. It has an area of and a population of about 390,000. The province contains 33 ''comuni'' (: ''comune''). Geography Situated in northwester ...

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, Italy. The church is near the city hall of the town.

History and description

A church titled ''Ecclesia Sanctae Mariae de Burgo Campi Majoris'' is documented here since 1260. It appears to have been consecrated in 1278. The stone bell-tower was completed in 1356. In 1387, the church was granted by pope

Urban VI Pope Urban VI (; ; c. 1318 – 15 October 1389), born Bartolomeo Prignano (), was head of the Catholic Church from 8 April 1378 to his death, in October 1389. He was the last pope elected from outside the College of Cardinals. His pontificate be ...

the privilege of celebrating baptism. In 1515, the church was granted the title of Collegiata, and in 1796, as ''collegiata insigne''. While the robust walls of stone with rounded portals recall Romanesque construction, the facade is tall and has a its top a rose window. The church has been modified over the centuries; in 1448 the building was widened, and the facade only completed in 1458. A major refurbishment took place in the 18th-century under the architect Tommaso Pezzini, The interior was adapted to late-baroque fashion and reconsecrated by the Archbishop of

Lucca Città di Lucca ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its Province of Lucca, province has a population of 383,9 ...

Filippo Sardi on 1799. The refurbishment in 1915 removed some of the baroque elements, and attempted to restore the structure to its Romanesque origins. The nave is roofed with a barrel vault, while the aisles are surmounted by rib vaults. The side altars date to the 17th and 18th centuries, while the 19th-century main altar was designed by Vincenzo Santini. The 14th-century baptismal font at the entrance of the church contained sculpted reliefs depicting the ''Good Shepherd'', ''Adam and Eve'', the serpent with the apple, and the archangel guarding paradise. The other font has a relief representing a baptism with an inscription: “Venite filii audite me timore Domini docebo vos”. On both the sides of the relief are the Guinigi coat of arms and the emblem of Camaiore The church has a 15th-century pipe organ restored by Benedetto and Luigi Tronci in the 18th-century and again in the following century. Of the works of art in the church is a 13th-century painted wooden crucifix on the first altar. In the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament, is a depiction of the ''Communion of the Apostles'' by Pier Dandini. In the chapel of the Virgin of the Annunciation, there is an altarpiece on this topic (1805) by Stefano Tofanelli. The church once had a Madonna statue by the 15th century sculptor

Matteo Civitali Matteo Civitali (1436–1501) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and architect, painterThe only known painting attributed to Matteo, a triptych of the ''Virgin and Child with Saints Michael Archangel, John the Baptist, Biagio and Peter'', execut ...

, but that is now sheltered in the Museum of Sacred Art of Camaiore. In the apse are four canvas by the Benedetto Brandimante from Lucca: an ''Assumption of the Virgin''; ''Saints Peter and Paul at the Coronation of the Virgin''.Comune of Camaiore
entry on church. Their source listed below.

References

*Bellato, Franco, La Chiesa Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta. Guida alla visita, Ed. Chiesa Collegiata, Viareggio, 1999 {{DEFAULTSORT:Assunta Camaiore Churches in Camaiore Romanesque architecture in Tuscany