Pieve di Santa Maria a Pacina, Castelnuovo Berardenga

very old parish church, unique for its architecture, and even the scene of an ancient crime. Known since 650 by the Conventio, with which they tried to pacify the Arezzo bishop Servando and the Sienese bishop Mauro in their contention for the control of some parish churches and religious buildings (and their income ...), including this parish church. The agreement, however, did not go well: it was precisely here that in 711 (according to what the Arezzo primicerio Gerardo said in the 11th century) the men of the Arezzo bishop Luperziano killed the Sienese gastaldo Godiperto, unleashing a riot of the Sienese. Lombard period, various stages for the control of various churches including Pacina. The parish church is therefore very ancient, much older than the Romanesque appearance that we can observe today, which in any case refers to the first phase of the Romanesque: a singular circular bell tower originally separated from the building, not too elongated plan, apses made up of a whole series of materials mixed, small arches in the outer wall of the central nave ...). Today of the three apses only two remain, and the plan is also different, elongated with respect to the origin, because the facade was moved towards the bell tower. Furthermore, I would add that the recent plastering of the facade was perhaps a somewhat unfortunate choice ... Until now I have found it closed, but I do not despair.

Beautiful Romanesque parish church, with a rare cylindrical bell tower. Too bad it's always closed.