The San Martino parish church in La Sassa

and its medieval origins

In La Sassa, the parish church of San Martino Vescovo is definitely worth a visit. The church was originally entitled to San Nicola, and it became a parish church on October 21st, 1361. The building and its medieval features have gone through big transformations throughout the centuries, due to collapses and extensions, which gave the church its current look. The original structure was small and followed the common orientation: the apses on the eastside and the entrance on the westside.

The biggest renovation process happened in the 19th century, when a new body of the building was built in the old cemetery, right next to the South wall of the ancient church, which completely changed its orientation.

The apses, the high altar and the presbytery were put in this new area, moving the altar to the southside and and the entrance on the northside. The bell tower was built in 1788, as a bricked-up plaque under the belfry in the South wall tells us. The church has never had any important architectural and artistic elements. The altars that were built along the walls in the 1600s were broken down in the 1800s. The altar dedicated to the Madonna del SS. Rosario also dates back to the 1600s, as well as the impressive entrance which almost reaches the roof of the North facade.

The baptismal font in red marble from Castagneto Carducci (15th-17th century a.D.) is also worth mentioning, with its simply decorated column and pentagonal basin.

Other towns to visit

In the area of Montecatini Val di Cecina