Priory Collegiate Church of Saints Stephen and Nicholas

The Collegiate Church of Saints Stephen and Nicholas (Santi Stefano e Niccolao) has very ancient origins and is the second in rank within the entire Diocese of Pescia. The first records of a church dedicated to the protomartyr Stephen date back to 1045; however, some research suggests that the ecclesiastical architecture was much older and perhaps connected to the Domus Regia—the political and administrative court of the land of Pescia.
The current architectural layout follows the ancient plan. Interestingly, the apse of the original medieval church stood where the entrance is today, meaning the facade (facing west) was once next to the bell tower. The interior features three naves ending in three quadrangular apses. In 1519, when the Church of Pescia was elevated to the rank of Diocese, this building was enlarged and transformed thanks to the patronage of important local families
such as the Pagni, Buonvicini, Forti, Sandri, and Cecchini.
Stone altars were erected, and masterpieces were commissioned to enrich the interiors. Foremost among these is the wooden group of the Announcing Angel and the Virgin Annunciate, both from the late 14th century, closely linked to the school of Valdambrino. On the Sandri family altar, you can find the canvas of the Visitation by Agostino Ciampelli (1594).
From the early 17th century is the exquisite Liberation of Saint Peter from Prison by the Bolognese artist Alessandro Tiarini. On the left wall of the choir, there is a tempera on panel with a gold background from the second half of the 15th century, depicting the Madonna and Child with Angels. On the right wall, attributable to the 16th century, is a Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Augustine.
In the Chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament (SS Sacramento), the altar features the canvas of Tobit Restoring His Father's Sight by Alessandro Bardelli, dating back to the first thirty years of the 17th century. Another significant piece is the 14th-century wooden crucifix from the school of Andrea Pisano. On the second altar on the left (belonging to the Buonvicini family) is the canvas representing the Conversion of Saint Paul by Aurelio Lomi, from the late 16th century.
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A large panel stands at the center of the choir, representing the Madonna and the Patron Saints of Pescia (Abdon and Sennen, St. Policronio, and St. Dorotea) who look lovingly at the city appearing at their feet. The painting is by Ercole Bazzicaluva. Above it is an oval depicting Saints Stephen and Nicholas. On the right wall of the choir is a painting attributed to Santi di Tito, while on the left is a 15th-century panel depicting the Madonna with Angels, known as the Epiphany Madonna.
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Looking from the presbytery toward the entrance, the facade's rose window stands out, brightly depicting St. Stephen looking at the open skies. The canons' sacristy displays important 17th-century canvases and benches.
This Collegiate Church was also home to the ancient Confraternity of Misericordia, an institution founded in 1506 which owned many artworks, including the extraordinary panel representing the Madonna della Misericordia with Women in Prayer, attributable to a 16th-century Tuscan master.
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Curated by the Association "Quelli con Pescia nel Cuore"