The remains of the 13th-century church can be seen in the lateral base made of squared blocks of Verrucana stone, featuring a doorway with a brick arch. The original height of the building was lower than its current state. Most likely, as excavations in the adjacent Piazza Curtatone and Montanara have revealed, the church originally had a front portico. Its present appearance stems from an expansion authorized by Ferdinand II on January 22, 1634, funded by proceeds from the “pan fino” tax and lasting for decades—evidenced by the side altars and choir balustrade dating to the late 17th century. Between 1707 and 1709, the bell tower was constructed; in 1708, the sacristy was added; and between 1708 and 1709, the side windows still visible today were opened. From 1715 onward, a now-vanished side staircase provided access from the then-Via Regia. Between 1731 and 1734, a choir loft was built above the main entrance to house the organ purchased in 1652 from Lucca-based Carlo Puccini. In 1736, a marble ciborium was erected. The polychrome marble high altar also dates to the early 18th century. The continuous renovations were necessitated by the building’s small size relative to the growing population.
The current structure’s position at the corner between the square facing its façade and Corso Matteotti highlights its side elevation as prominently as the façade, allowing a full perception of its volume. The bell tower, along with two chapels and an adjacent cloister, was destroyed during World War II bombings. It was square in shape, not much taller than the church, and located on the opposite corner from the façade. Before the war, there were two chapels on the north side: the Santissimo Crocifisso and Santissimo Sacramento, of which only the former survives today.
From Corsi’s 1856 visit, we learn that the church was originally rectangular with a simple truss-roofed structure. It included the aforementioned chapels—one called “dei Bianchi,” dedicated to St. Sebastian and St. Roch, housing the Santissimo Sacramento in a Greek-cross layout in poor condition, and the other, “dei Neri,” dedicated to St. Carlo, preserving the venerated simulacrum of the Santissimo Crocifisso. The latter was also rectangular, having been restored in 1845. The main church underwent restoration in 1849–1850.
**Description:** The wooden poplar statue of Christ, recently restored by the Pisa Superintendency, features articulated arms that allow it to transition from a crucified Christ to a deposed Christ in the sepulcher. Dating to the 15th–16th century, it belonged to the Compagnia del Santissimo Salvatore, where it was kept in their chapel. The tabernacle housing the crucifix was placed on the high altar in 1936 after church renovations. The silver-repoussé tabernacle dates to 1857–1861.
**In use since:** Between 1550 and 1600
**Original location of the shrine:** The chapel housing the crucifix.
**Ex-voto typology:** Jewelry (lost during WWII bombings).
The parish church of Santi Iacopo, Filippo, and Biagio is documented as early as June 6, 1270. Devotion to the crucifix—initially kept in the Compagnia del Santissimo Salvatore’s chapel—flourished from the late 16th century. A pivotal event occurred on Good Friday, April 20, 1612, when the chapel burned down. The crucifix was found under debris, “barely damaged,” as recorded in the parish archives, prompting renewed veneration. The church was elevated to a sanctuary in 1936 by Archbishop Vettori but closed for worship from 1944 to 1960.
A plaque on the façade commemorates its consecration on August 6, 1803, by Pisan Archbishop Angelo Franceschi (per papal decree of March 27, 1802). Another plaque (1737) behind the high altar notes the Grand Dukes’ support for the expansion. Archbishop Corsi’s 1856 visit mentions indulgences granted during religious festivals. For the Jubilee 2000, the sanctuary was designated a jubilee church, offering plenary indulgences.
A memoir in the parish archive notes the church was established under Archbishop Federigo Visconti by the prior of Pisa’s Augustinians. Since 1657, it has been served by secular clergy, having previously been under Pisan Clarissan nuns (14th century) and Canons Regular of San Martino in Kinzica (1270). The earliest patronage record dates to an October 4, 1657, pastoral visit.
56025 Pontedera, Province of Pisa, Italy
