Santa Maria Forisportam, also called Santa Maria Bianca, is a Romanesque-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 ...

church located on piazza Santa Maria Bianca in

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 ...

, region of

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.

History

A church at the site was present by the 12th century, when it was enclosed inside the walls of Lucca. The church is modeled after the

Cathedral of Pisa Pisa Cathedral (), officially the Primatial Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary (), is a medieval Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, in the Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa, Italy, the oldest of the three st ...

. The exterior remains incomplete, a bell-tower was only added in 1619. The church was affiliated with the Canonici Regolari of San Salvatore di Bologna in 1512. They remained until the Napoleonic suppression. In 1819 the previous canons returned, and in 1823 the Canons Regular Lateran fused with them into a single order. They continue to be associated with the church. The church has a small monastery and cloister adjacent.

Interior

A sun-clock or meridian ''a camera oscura'' is engraved in the pavement of the church. A paleo-Christian carved sarcophagus served as a font. The inside hosts a ''St Lucy'' and Assumption canvases by

Guercino Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (February 8, 1591 – December 22, 1666),Miller, 1964 better known as (il) Guercino (), was an Italian Baroque painter and draftsman from Cento in the Emilia region, who was active in Rome and Bologna. The vigorous n ...

. A ''Dormition'' and ''Assumption of the Virgin'' (1386) by

Angelo Puccinelli Angelo Puccinelli or Puccinèlli (Lucca, 14th century) was an Italian painter In 1380, documents show he was in Siena, where he was likely influenced by Lippo Memmi. Among the only signed works are a ''Marriage of St Catherine'', a ''Madonna and ...

are displayed in the sacristy.The Christian Travelers Guide to Italy
by David Bershad, Carolina Mangone, Irving Hexham, page 89. It also houses a ''Coronation of the Virgin'' (1659) by

Girolamo Scaglia Girolamo Scaglia (1620 – 1686) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. He was born in Lucca, and trained there with Pietro Paolini.Alessandro Ardenti Alessandro is both a given name and a surname, the Italian form of the name Alexander. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Alessandro * Alessandro Allori (1535–1607), Italian portrait painter * Alessandro Baricco ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Forisportam Lucca Roman Catholic churches in Lucca Romanesque architecture in Lucca 13th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy