Pisa | Church of San Nicola

The church of S. Nicola, documented in 1097 as a dependency of the Monastery of S. Michele della Verruca (now disappeared) seems to have been founded by the Marquis Ugo di Tuscia at the end of the 10th century.

It is known as the second leaning bell tower of Pisa, (the third is San Michele degli Scalzi along the Viale delle Piagge). It is an original octagonal bell tower of the 13th century which is accessed by a spiral staircase with cantilevered steps.

The first order of the facade in Romanesque-Pisan style contains elements of the style of Buscheto (the architect of the Cathedral): blind arches, pilasters, lozenges, marble facings in white and gray bands.

The interior boasts a magnificent wooden crucifix attributed to Giovanni Pisano, the precious panel depicting the Madonna and Child, attributed to Francesco Traini, but above all the painting “San Nicola salva Pisa dalla Peste” (St. Nicholas saves Pisa from the Plague) which is one of the oldest and most detailed depictions of the city at the time of the Middle Ages.