Vecchiano | Sanctuary of Santa Maria in Castello

Santa Maria in Castello is an originally fortified complex that stands on a rocky spur above the town of Vecchiano, dominating the Serchio Valley and the plain of Filettole.

The first fortification dates back to the end of the 11th century, when Lucca began to invade the Serchio Valley. The oldest evidence of Vecchiano Castle is a document from 1092 in which the bishop of Pisa Daiberto asked some Pisan families to defend the territory. Thanks to its strategic position, from the 13th century the castle became an important bulwark during the wars between Pisa and the Guelph cities. With the advent of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, the fortress lost its military importance, and ownership of the castle was granted to the Pisan patricians Bocca Gaetani, who were succeeded by the Agostini Della Seta family, who now own the castle.

All that remains of the complex is the small Church of St Mary and the remains of the fortification. The church was built in 1120 from the union of an earlier small chapel and the castle tower, later demolished in the 17th century. The present structure dates back to an extension between the 16th and 17th centuries. The structure suffered serious damage during the Second World War (the Gothic Line passed through it) and was restored thanks to the Vecchianese Archaeological Group. Santa Maria became a Sanctuary during the Jubilee of 2000.

Unfortunately, the monument has fallen prey to looting and vandalism. The high altar was destroyed (the current one is very recent), many gravestones of burials of local notables were damaged and partly scattered. Some, found in the area, were recovered and are now kept inside the church. Among the finds is a stone tombstone with a 17th-century epigraph, commemorating the patron and rector of the church of Santa Maria in Castello, Giuseppe Bocca, who led it from 1569 to 1618.

Inside the church, the remains of frescoes from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries are visible on the left wall. The church guarded a votive image of the Virgin Mary considered miraculous (a plaque outside the church commemorates the liberation from yellow fever during the 1804 epidemic) that was stolen during World War II. On the left and right walls are two recent paintings depicting St Alexander and St Antanus.