grafico grafico

St. Anthony Abbot or of Mercy

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Information

Address: Via Giuseppe Mazzini 101, Pietrasanta
Telephone: +39 0584 70055
District/Location: Pietrasanta
District: Versilia
        
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First documented in the 14th century by the name of Saint Biagio, this church was the headquarters of a society dedicated to the assistance of offenders and orphans, which at the same time also ran the adjacent hospital. The church houses two large panels: "The Gate of Paradise" and "The Gate of Hell" donated  by Fernando Botero in 1993.
Pietrasanta
In the early 19th century both the institution and church adopted the name Sant´Antonio abate, which was changed again at the end of the century to Confraternity of the Misericordia. In 1798 it passed to the diocese of Pisa where it has remained until this day.
The façade has a very modest appearance, but the church interior features various works of great value, among which two wooden statues particularly stand out. These are considered to some of the most notable works created in the Lucca area between the late 14th and early 15th century, representing Sant´Antonio abate and San Biagio, that, after a recent restoration, can be safely attributed to Antonio Pardini and Jacopo della Quercia, respectively.
There is a painting from the mid-16th century of the Coronation of the Virgin, of interest not so much for its admittedly modest quality but because it is the only evidence of the work of Lorenzo Cellini, a painter from Pietrasanta who was influenced by Fra Bartolomeo.
Also worth noting, the 18th century choir, paintings of the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows by Luigi Ademollo and two large panels of the Gates of Paradise and Hell donated to the church by Fernando Botero in 1993.
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