Propositura della Collegiata di San Cassiano

The Collegiate Church of San Cassiano stands on the hill above San Casciano in Val di Pesa. Its neoclassical form dates from a rebuilding begun in 1793, while its paintings and sculpture preserve the history of an older parish church.

Why it matters

The church developed from a medieval building that was subordinate to the Pieve di Santa Cecilia a Decimo. It became an independent propositura in 1487 and received the title of collegiate church in 1686.

What to notice

The façade follows a neoclassical design by Lorenzo Pozzolini. Inside, the wooden crucifix attributed to Baccio da Montelupo stands at the high altar, behind which is Luigi Pistocchi's signed 1797 fresco of the Glory of Saint Cassian. A late-fourteenth-century Madonna del Latte lunette and paintings by Francesco Curradi and Fra Paolino da Pistoia add further layers to the collection.

Context and history

The medieval church was rebuilt from 1793 and consecrated in 1794. Its bell tower survived the reconstruction and was repaired and raised in 1997. The interior was expanded in 1966, when side chapels were opened to create the present five-nave arrangement.