Church of the Knights of St. Stephen in Italy, Pisa resort
Rating: 7,6/10 (263 votes)  The Church of St. Stephen is located in Piazza Cavalieri, just 500 meters from the Plaza of Miracles. The church was founded in 1565 by Duke Cosimo the First of Medici. The author of the project was the architect Giorgio Vasari. For the construction of a new cathedral, the old Romanesque church of St. Sebastian was destroyed. In 1572, the bell tower of the church was built according to the project of Vasari, but by a different architect. Almost a hundred years later, the interior of the temple was decorated with various works of art, most of which have survived to our time. At the end of the 17th century, two additional wings were added to the building for the everyday needs of members of the Order of the Holy Stefan. In the 19th century, after the dissolution of the order, the building underwent reconstruction, during which two new halls were erected in two adjacent buildings. Today the church is a square structure with a single nave, altars and square choirs placed on the sides. The beautiful facade of the building was created according to the drawing of the son of Cosimo I, Giovanni de Medici. The facade was decorated with semi-columns with pilasters and a lowered arch covering the portal. In the central part of the facade you can see the massive Medici coat of arms, and a little higher - coat of arms of the Order of St. Stephen. The interior of the cathedral is vast, well-lit and richly decorated. The church contains many war trophies related to the XVI – XVIII centuries. There are also parts of polychrome wooden sculptures that once adorned the Pisan ceremonial courts. The ceiling of the church is decorated with picturesque canvases made by the most prominent Tuscan masters. The altar of the temple was made of gilded bronze and polychrome marble in the late Baroque style. Written by Giovanni Battista Foggini.   
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