Chiesa di Santa Maria Forisportam

Santa Maria Forisportam, also known in Lucca as Santa Maria Bianca, was originally built outside the eastern gate of the Roman city. A parchment dated 768 records its existence, centuries before the medieval walls enclosed the surrounding area.

Why it matters

The church brings together Lucca’s Romanesque architecture, Baroque painting and the history of scientific observation. Its camera-obscura meridian marks local solar noon with a beam of light crossing a line on the floor; Lucca’s solar noon falls 7 minutes and 55 seconds behind Rome’s.

What to notice

The Romanesque façade is built in white stone from Santa Maria del Giudice. Arcades, three portals, two tiers of loggias and sculpted lions frame the front, while a relief of the Virgin and Child fills the lunette above the left portal. Inside, the three-nave plan remains, though the original timber roof was replaced by cross vaults during later alterations. The church’s canvases include Guercino’s Saint Lucy (1642) and Assumption with Saints Francis and Alexander (1643), as well as Alessandro Ardenti’s Trinity with Saints Francis and Jerome.

Context and history

The name Forisportam recalls the church’s original position outside the Roman walls. Rebuilt in Romanesque style in the twelfth century, it was altered in the sixteenth century: the structure was raised with brickwork and the timber roof replaced by vaults. The adjoining square is also called Piazza della Colonna Mozza, after the granite Roman column that served as the medieval Palio’s finishing point.