Today I want to return to one of my obsessions, the
abbeys, monasteries and churches of Tuscany, in this case, specifically, the
parish church of Santa Maria and San Leonardo in Artimino, at Carmignano in the Province of Prato (in Italian,
La pieve di S. Maria e S. Leonardo ad Artimino, Comune di Carmignano, Prato). We are lucky in Tuscany that stone is readily available (ref. my husband's fields) and consequently almost every building in Tuscany is, in essence, a skilfully assembled pile of stones that lasts for millennia. Some of these structures are aesthetically indifferent - some are works of genius, even when they are pure
vernacular art - meaning erected by now anonymous workmen with no special skills other than a miraculous feeling for beauty. The Pieve di S. Maria e S. Leonardo ad Artimino is one of these works of genius. It's located deep in the countryside and consequently rarely visited by visitors to Tuscany. This church has miraculously remained embedded in a pristine natural environment. If you're in the area, on no account miss paying it a visit.
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| The parish church of S. Maria e S. Leonardo ad Artimino |
This
pieve is referred to in the famous decree of Emperor Otto III, dating from 998, which lists the privileges of the Bishop of
Pistoia, also noting "plebs ... in Artimino", which is perhaps referring to a time before the existence of the inhabited settlement of Artimino. The latter was a walled town, documented, however, as "castle" since the 11 C. The then church of San Leonardo was located outside the walls of the castle. This was commonplace during that period, because territorial organisation was characterised by scattered settlements and distinct power centres: the castle and the
pieve. The Rinaldeschi of Prato and then the Frescobaldi were the patrons for a long time.
The church was first devoted to the Virgin only during the 16 C and from then onwards was co-dedicated to the Virgin and San Leonardo. In its role as a parish church, the pieve of Santa Maria and San Leonardo in Artimino was the headquarters of several suffragan churches. In the 19 C, it had as its dependencies Santo Stefano alle Brusche at Poggio alla Malva, San Michele in Comeana and San Martino in Campo.
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| Interior of the Pieve di S. Maria e S. Leonardo ad Artimino |
The pieve as a structure is one of the most complete, evocative and early examples of Romanesque architecture of the 11 C in Tuscany. The original buildings have remained intact over the centuries, apart from the construction of the vault cover in the 14 C and the construction of the canonical and "
della Compagnia" buildings. The impression formed by the Romanesque elements has been enormously enhanced by the radical restoration of 1971 that eliminated additions of little value and also resulted in the removal of interior decorations of the 17 C and 18 C.
More about the Basilicas, Pievi, Abbeys, Monasteries and Hermitages of Tuscany.
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Author: Anna Maria Baldini
