Rich in history, legends, and local pride, the beautiful Church of San Francesco is undoubtedly the most beloved by the people of Pescia. Restored around the 1920s, the current church dates back to the late 14th century. Documents show that a church dedicated to the Saint of Assisi already existed in Pescia in the first half of the 14th century. A charming local legend tells that Francis visited the community of Pescia around 1211. On that occasion, he was a guest of the Orlandi family, who later commissioned a small oratory that would eventually become the current church. We know that by 1241, the construction of the large convent and the ecclesiastical building was certainly underway. On August 28, 1364, in this very church, peace was brokered between the powers of Lucca and Pisa in the presence of papal legates, the General of the Franciscan Order, and ambassadors.

The interior clearly reflects its Gothic origins and houses many works of art. The layout follows a Latin cross plan, and the transept features two stone altars and splendid canvases. The first chapel on the left was built between approximately 1453 and 1458 at the behest of the brothers Antonio and Giovanni Cardini. The design of the original furnishings is attributed to Filippo Brunelleschi, while the execution was carried out by Andrea di Lazzaro Cavalcanti (known as il Buggiano), the master's pupil and adopted son. At the center, beyond the beautiful five-legged marble table, stands a 15th-century crucifix in the Florentine style, linked to the work of Giuliano da Maiano (Maiano 1432 - Naples 1490), while the coloring of the figure was executed by Neri di Bicci. On the back wall is a 1458 fresco, also by Neri di Bicci, depicting the patrons. The altar's design recalls the "Trinity" painted by Masaccio in Santa Maria Novella.

In the second chapel (16th century), now dedicated to the fallen of World War I, highly valuable works are on display. These include a 14th-century statue of the Virgin and Child, which reportedly showed miraculous signs in 1506, as well as a copy of a Pietà by Alessandro Bardelli (originally by Ludovico Cardi, known as il Cigoli). Bardelli also created the "cover" that once concealed the famous panel of St. Francis by Bonaventura Berlinghieri . -(learn more)

The most famous pictorial work in the church is the panel by the Lucchese artist Bonaventura Berlinghieri, which depicts St. Francis with six stories from his life along the sides. Painted in 1235, just nine years after the Saint's death, it is the most significant and perhaps the oldest work portraying Francis. The panel has undergone multiple restorations and was only fully rediscovered in the mid-19th century. It is said that Bonaventura had personally met the Saint and was thus able to capture his true likeness. For about two centuries, however, the panel was framed and hidden by a canvas titled Gloria di Angeli by the 17th-century painter Alessandro Bardelli. It was only removed in the 1880s thanks to the painter and art critic Michele Ridolfi, revealing the date, signature, and scenes from the Saint's life. This discovery made the work a subject of great study and admiration, leading to its exhibition at the Diocesan Museum of Freising in Bavaria in 2023.

Almost hidden within the sacristy is a 14th-century fresco attributed to Puccio Capanna, an Assisi-born painter who, according to Vasari, was a pupil in Giotto's workshop. The work, titled Crucifixion with Angels and Saints, was restored in the 1970s. The lunette, measuring approximately 3 by 4 meters, depicts the crucified Christ. At his feet are the Virgin Mary supported by the Pious Women, Mary Magdalene, St. John the Evangelist, St. Francis (the church's titular saint), and his devoted secretary and confessor, Brother Leo. One of the angels collects the blood flowing from Christ's side, while a pelican feeds its young with its own blood—a symbol of Jesus's sacrifice. At the base of the cross lies a skull, representing the transience of life and symbolizing the redemption of humanity from original sin through Christ's death.