Mentioned for the first time in 1148 in a papal bull by Eugene III... #tuttitaly
In the locality of Vendasso, in Fivizzano, there is the Pieve di San Paolo, whose first written testimony dates back to the Bull of Pope Eugene III of 1148.
The 1920 earthquake caused severe damage to the building, which was almost wholly rebuilt in Romanesque style in 1925, preserving the original features, especially in the central apse, characterized in the upper part by hanging arches with figurative shelves and single lancet windows. The two side apses were added, and the stone facade was rebuilt, with the central nave higher than the side ones.
Its architectural form, with three apses and built with blocks of white limestone, bears witness to the Lombard and Tuscan influence.
The facade is protruding, with the portal built into the buttress inserted during the restoration work in 1925, surmounted by a non-original mullioned window.
Inside, with three apsidal naves, the environment is divided by large arches supported by cylindrical stone pillars decorated with twelve capitals with geometric and floral motifs of early medieval origin, lions, wild animals, birds, animal symbols, six-pointed daisies petals, concentric circles, wicker weaves, enigmatic figures.
To the left of the entrance is the baptismal font with a double basin in sandstone. The high altar is made from a single block of sandstone.
The bell tower stands on the church's southern side, accessible from an external sandstone portal.
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