Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri Bell Towers - Pisa, Italy
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razalas
N 43° 43.152 E 010° 24.033
32T E 612816 N 4841638
Bell Towers of the church Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri located on Piazza dei Cavalieri (Knight's Square).
Waymark Code: WMKEHD
Location: Toscana, Italy
Date Posted: 03/31/2014
Views: 9
The bell tower of the church Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri located on Piazza dei Cavalieri in the city of Pisa. The tower is located in the back facade of the church and because of that is only visible from the side. The tower is made of red briks and stone.
"Construction began on April 17, 1565 in order to build a church for the Order of Knights of St Stephan, founded by the Grand Duke Cosimo de' Medici to fight Saracen piracy in the Mediterranean. The project with designs and oversight by Giorgio Vasari and David Fortini was to build a church on the site of an older church called San Sebastiano alle Fabbriche Maggiori, which dated at least to 1074. The new church on the site was consecrated by 21 December 21, 1569. The facade, in white marble was designed by Don Giovanni de' Medici, illegitimate son of Cosimo I, with the help of Alessandro Pieroni; their designs were chosen over Vasari’s original plan. An inscription commemorates completion during the reign of Ferdinando I de' Medici.
The bell-tower, also designed by Vasari, was completed by 1572 by Giovanni Fancelli. The main altar designs were by Pier Francesco Silvani. Many alterations and additions were proposed and made over the next two centuries, including plans by Gherardo Mechini, Paolo Guidotti, Ranieri Gherardi, Torpè Donati, Alessandro Gherardesca, Florido Galli, Niccolò Matas, and Pasquale Poccianti. The final reconstruction in 1859, completed after the suppression of the order, creates the clearer interior systematization of columns we see today."
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