Santo Sepolcro

The Church of the Santo Sepolcro stands beside the Arno in Pisa’s southern quarter. Built in the early 12th century under architect Diotisalvi, it is an octagonal structure with a tented roof rising from a windowed drum. The walls carry three round-arched doorways framed by lion-head imposts and Tuscan acanthus borders. A small bell-tower of Pisane-Romanesque style remains unfinished beside the church. The building once belonged to the Knights Hospitaller, who cared for pilgrims outside the city walls.

Relics brought back from Jerusalem after the First Crusade inspired its design, echoing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Knights of Malta later took charge, and in 1817 the order was suppressed, leaving the church to decay. Restoration in 1849 lowered the floor by more than a metre and removed later additions to return the interior to its medieval appearance. Inside, eight large multi-angled columns support the roof over an elevated altar platform. Baroque furnishings have been removed, revealing earlier layers of decoration.

Visitors find the central space framed by the eight columns and pointed arches. A 15th-century bust-reliquary of St Ubaldesca and a panel of the Madonna with Child remain on view. A painted image of Saint Ranieri from 1775 and the tombstone of Marie Mancini also stand in the church. The surrounding square shows the original floor level now exposed below the modern pavement.