Santa Maria della Spina

Santa Maria della Spina is a small Gothic church in Pisa, standing beside the Arno. Built around 1230 and enlarged after 1325, it was originally called Santa Maria di Pontenovo for a nearby bridge that collapsed in the 15th century. Its name comes from a relic said to be a thorn from Christ’s crown of thorns, brought here in 1333. In 1871 the church was dismantled and rebuilt higher up to protect it from flooding. John Ruskin, visiting in 1872, criticised the restoration work strongly. The relic is now in the Chiesa di Santa Chiara, though the church remains under city administration. The exterior is a fine example of Pisan Gothic style, clad in marble with bands of different colours. Cusps, tympani and tabernacles frame rich sculptural details, including rose windows and statues by leading Pisane artists of the early 14th century. Giovanni Pisano, Lupo di Francesco, Andrea Pisano with his sons Nino and Tommaso, and Giovanni di Balduccio all contributed works. The façade has two lintelled gates, with a central tabernacle housing a Madonna and Child by Giovanni Pisano. Niches above contain a Christ flanked by Annunciation figures and angels. Inside, the single room is simpler than the exterior, with a 19th-century painted ceiling. The presbytery holds the Madonna of the Rose, a masterpiece by Andrea and Nino Pisano. On the left wall stands a 1534 tabernacle by Stagio Stagi, once housing the relic. Another statue, the Madonna del Latte, has been moved to the National Museum of San Matteo. The church’s quiet interior contrasts with the lively sculptural display outside.