Chiesa di San Martino a Vespignano

The Church of San Martino in Vespignano, located on the top of the homonymous hill, is a place that has its roots in the Middle Ages. Dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, the church was once a subsidiary of the parish of Borgo San Lorenzo and dates back to at least the 13th century, although some traces of history suggest an earlier foundation. Tradition has it that Giotto, one of the greatest masters of Renaissance painting, was born nearby, either in the house facing the church or in its immediate vicinity, and that his son Francesco was the prior of the church in 1329. Although the exact location of his birth is a matter of debate, the connection with the church of San Martino is undisputed. The church features a simple gabled facade, with a single portal and a small oculus. The sturdy and massive bell tower was rebuilt after the 1919 earthquake, while the interior stands out with a single nave and a rectangular choir covered by a rib-vaulted ceiling. The interior decoration reveals a layering of eras, with traces of ancient paintings, perhaps from the 15th century, and more recent works such as the main altar, designed in 1929 by Dino Chini, in a neo-medieval style. Next to a 15th-century stone eucharistic tabernacle, there is a niche with a frame dated 1277, which testifies to the artistic evolution of the place. Moreover, among the most significant elements of the church, there are paintings and artworks of great value. The Madonna of the Milk by Paolo Schiavo, a painter active in the 15th century, is one of the most significant examples. Schiavo, who was a pupil of Masolino da Panicale, managed to combine late Gothic elegance and Masaccio's realism, as also seen in this depiction of the Madonna. On the left wall of the nave, next to the fresco of the Madonna of Humility, there is a fresco that adds depth to the sacred history of the church. In the heart of the hall, there is a bronze statue of Saint John the Baptist, a work by Antonio Berti from 1954, a symbol of the contemporary artistic evolution of the church. Another interesting detail is the wooden pulpit located on the left and the single lancet windows opening on the opposite wall, remnants of a medieval construction. The church also houses an 18th-century organ recently restored, next to a baptismal font in granite, which according to tradition, was carved from an ancient sacrificial stone.

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