Pieve di San Lorenzo (Marciana)

Halfway along the old Civillina road between Poggio and Marciana, the roofless granite walls of the twelfth-century Pieve di San Lorenzo stand in the open landscape. This former parish church preserves the outline of a rural Romanesque building; summer events and concerts now give the site a different kind of gathering.

Why it matters

A pieve was the mother church of a rural territory, gathering the scattered faithful before villages had churches of their own. San Lorenzo held this role for the mountain district of western Elba. Though roofless, the church retains the plan of a medieval parish building, with a single nave and an eastern apse. It stands on the historic road linking Poggio and Marciana, within the landscape once served by its parish.

What to notice

The facade has a portal framed by a tympanum, an architrave above a round arch and a small Greek-cross opening. The church has a single nave and apse to the east. Its two side walls are of unequal length, while the granite blocks are larger than those used in other Romanesque churches on the island. Beside the facade, two pilasters remain from the bell gable, or campanile a vela. The roof is gone, but the perimeter walls still define the interior space.

Context and history

The twelfth-century church reflects the Pisan Romanesque style of the period when Elba belonged to Pisa's sphere of influence. It served the faithful dispersed across the mountain farmlands between Marciana and Poggio. In 1553 corsairs in French service against Emperor Charles V sacked the Elban coast; these raids contributed to the abandonment of the countryside and the parish church. The roofless building has retained its medieval proportions. In recent decades it has also been used for summer events and concerts.