Pieve di Corsignano

Outside Pienza, the sandstone Pieve of Saints Vito and Modesto preserves the religious history of medieval Corsignano. Its carved exterior and cylindrical bell tower distinguish it from the Renaissance architecture of the later city.

Why it matters

The church predates the Renaissance city of Pienza, which Pius II and Bernardo Rossellino developed nearby from 1459. Its baptismal font is associated with the baptisms of Enea Silvio Piccolomini, later Pius II, in 1405 and his nephew Francesco Tedeschini Piccolomini, later Pius III.

What to notice

The church has a cylindrical bell tower and carved stone details on its exterior. A two-tailed mermaid appears on an architrave, and a relief on the right side depicts the procession of the Magi, the Annunciation to the Shepherds and the Nativity. Inside, a wooden crucifix is attributed to the Master of Camaiore and dated to the first half of the fourteenth century.

Context and history

The Pieve served the settlement of Corsignano before the construction of Pienza. Excavations around the external apse between 2020 and 2024 revealed traces of three earlier apses and burials at different levels, evidence of repeated use and rebuilding at the site.