Saint Mary of Loppia

Loppia Barga

The pieve of Santa Maria di Loppia is mentioned for the first time in the X^th century A.D. During the Early Middle Ages the pieve of Santa Maria di Loppia was under the influence of the Rolandinghi, one of the most important clans in the Serchio valley, who collected the Church's 'decime'. The area controlled by the pieve was very large and included, in 1260, almost 30 religious structures. Around the end of the XIII^th century it passed under Guglielmo di Guidone Bizzani. The oldest part of the building is the one under the bell tower of which only the north-east corner that rests against the church is preserved. The pieve was entirely rebuilt in the XII^th century with a Latin cross plan, three aisles, a transept and a semicircular apse. Today the building shows basically the same structure. On the façade are two portals with architraves and round arches; a second entrance is on the west side of the southern transept; on the sides of the aisles, in the transepts and in the apse we can see a series of monofore. The church was renovated between the XVI^th and the XVII^th century when the bell tower and the apse were practically built anew, the aisles and transepts raised and large windows opened in place of the monofore. During a recent restoration, clearly visible in all parts of the building, the Medieval monofore were reopened and the windows added in Modern times closed; besides, a number of ashlars and the main portal, of which only the left jamb is preserved, were replaced. Today the church of Santa Maria di Loppia preserves great part of its XII^th century Romanesque walls.