Basilica of San Frediano

Fun Facts

• • Many of the chapels along the sides were added by wealthy families between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries to serve as private burial places.
• • The Trenta Chapel contains tombstones and a polyptych by Jacopo della Quercia, which are considered pivotal works that bridged the Gothic and Renaissance eras.
• • The baptismal font inside is a curious piece of art, created by three different anonymous masters, resulting in a unique clash of styles.
• • The basilica height was increased in the thirteenth century to support a wooden truss roof, drastically altering its profile.
• • The basilica is named after Saint Frediano, an Irish monk who was elected Bishop of Lucca in the sixth century.
• • The basilica remains a rare example of a Romanesque building that has largely preserved its medieval spatial character despite centuries of renovations.
• • The bell tower is a visible patchwork of history, with its dark stone base dating to an earlier period than the lighter upper sections.
• • The building breaks the traditional architectural rules of its time by having the façade face east, diverging from the customary western orientation.
• • The church serves as the starting point for the Luminara di Santa Croce, a breathtaking annual night procession where the city is lit by thousands of candles.
• • The columns supporting the nave were repurposed from ancient Roman structures, a common practice known as spolia during the medieval era.
• • The interior houses the incorrupt body of Saint Zita, a beloved local saint and domestic servant whose life story continues to inspire pilgrims.
• • The stunning mosaic on the façade is an anomaly in Lucchese architecture, as mosaics were rarely used in the city during this period.