The Santa Maria del Carmine Church is located on the square of the same name along the Corso Italia in Pisa. The church was built in the 14th century, but was completely redesigned two centuries later. A famous altarpiece by Masaccio was divided into several parts, which can be seen in a number of famous museums.
Santa Maria del Carmine Church Pisa
Address, opening hours and entrance fee
The address of the Chiesa di Santa Maria del Carmine is Corso Italia, 88, 56125 Pisa (tel. +39 050502410).
History Santa Maria del Carmine Church Pisa
The Santa Maria del Carmine Church was founded by the Carmelites in 1325. It was rededicated in the 16th and 17th centuries, after a number of renovations.
During the Second World War, the church was severely damaged, which led to a complete reconstruction of the roof.
After the Council of Trent, which lasted from 1545 to 1563, the 14th century interior of the church was completely changed. Among other things, the old altars were replaced by baroque versions.
On the outside you can still see some parts of the original Gothic structure.
Tourist attractions
An attraction that is no longer visible in the church is the large altarpiece that Masaccio painted for a chapel which was built in 1425 by order of the notary Giuliano di Colino degli Scarsi. To see the entire canvas it is necessary to visit the San Matteo Museum in Pisa itself, the London National Gallery, the Staatliche Museum in Berlin, the Capodimonte Museum in Naples and the Paul Getty Museum in Malibu.
Aurelio Lomi painted the “Madonna in Glory and Saints” (1st altar left, around 1590).
Alessandro Allori painted the “Ascension of Christ” (2nd altar left, 1581).
Francesco Curradi made “The Apparition of the Virgin at Sant’Andrea Corsini” (altar behind the façade, 1629).
The lunettes in the cloister show what is left of an extensive cycle with “Scenes from the Life of the Carmelite Saints” and “Scenes from the Life of Christ” as its subject.
In the presbytery you can see a fragment of an “Ascension” (14th century).
A commemorative plaque on the church commemorates a flooding of the Arno river in 1869, when the water reached a height of two metres.