The Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri Kerk is located in the Piazza dei Cavalieri in Pisa and is the church of the order of the same name. This 16th century church was designed by Vasari and is decorated with works of art by the most famous artists associated with the Medici. An unusual attraction is formed by parts of defeated Turkish ships. Unfortunately the church is only open on (rare) special occasions.
Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri Pisa, a brief history
The Church of Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri is dedicated to Pope Stephen I, who was stoned to death and then beheaded by the Praetorians under the reign of Emperor Valerian in the year 257.
Construction of the church, which was founded especially for the Order of the Knights of St. Stephen, began in 1565. Before it was built, the church of San Sebastiano alle Fabbriche Maggiori had to be destroyed.
Consecration took place in 1569.
The facade was designed by Giovanni De Medici and was constructed in 1596.
The two naves were added in 1682 and were originally used as a dressing room for the knights.
What to see
Exterior
The exterior of the church gives an elegant and at the same time sober impression. The only decoration is the gigantic coat of arms of the order. The façade was designed by Don Giovanni de’ Medici.
Interior
The large and sumptuous interior has only one nave and is richly decorated with works of art. There are also ship’s pennants and other ornaments referring to the sea, including multiple elements of a 17th century galley.
The beautiful inlaid wooden ceiling was added in 1606. It is graced by six paintings depicting military exploits by Knights of the Order. The artists were Jacopo Ligozzi, Jacopo Ghimenti, l’Empoli, Cristofano Allori and Il Cigoli.
Altogether, there are 70 mostly Turkish banners hanging from the ceiling. One of them is the Turkish flag that was captured by the Holy League during the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. The flag decorated the main mast of the ship of the admiral of the Turkish fleet, Mehmet Ali Pasha.
Saint Stephen‘s relics are kept in an urn below the main altar. The altar itself was designed by Pier Francesco Silvani and Foggini.
The polychrome marble pulpit on the left used to grace the cathedral and was made in the 17th century by Chiarissimo Fancelli.
The “Madonna and Child between Saint Joseph and Stephen” on the left wall was painted by Aurelio Lomi in 1593. It was originally intended for the Palazzo dell’Ordine dei Cavalieri.
Giorgio Vasari painted the “Stoning of St. Stephen” in the right nave.
The “Birth of Jesus” above the second altar in the left nave is the work Bronzino.
Organs
There are two organs in the church. The one to the left of the main altar was made by Azzolino della Caia (1733) and the one to its right by Onofrio Zeffirini (1570).
Donatello
Like many works of art originally intended for churches in Pisa, Donatello‘s bust of San Lussorio is preserved in the Museo Nazionale di San Matteo.
The statue of Ulisse Dini at the beginning of the street of the same name to the right of the church was made in 1927 by Leonardo Bistolfi. Dini (1845-1918) was a mathematician, politician and director of the Scuola Nazionale Superiore nextdoor, where he taught the Nobel prize winner Enrico Fermi. He was buried in the Camposanto.
Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri Church, Pisa
Bibliography
Bertini, Luca, Pisa itinerari. Guida alla visita della città.
Web source
Ulisse Dine statue on the official site of the Comune di Pisa
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