The Tour of the 7 Churches
THE PERISH OF COIANO
The majestic perish of Saints Peter and Paul is located in Coiano, a hamlet of Castelfiorentino.
The church dates back to the first millennium as the Canterbury archbishop Sigerico's diary testimonies. He took note about the perish returning from his pilgrimage to Rome between 990 and 994.
In fact, the perish is one of the stages along the Via Francigena. In the Middle Ages it acquired a fundamental role thanks to its privileged location between San Gimignano and San Miniato.
The Via Francigena reflects a cultural, touristic and environmental point of interest that soon it might be included in the UNESCO World Heritage.
A steep stairway brings to the Romanesque church, made of two different materials: sandstone and clay-brick.
Over the centuries, the building underwent some adjusts.
In the XVIII Century, the inside was redefined in Baroque style with the purpose to recover the Romanesque origins.
Furthermore, the bell tower was completed just in 1837.
The façade of the church is divided in two different orders and it is characterized by the presence of a round arch, of a horizontal architrave and of a lunette.
The northern side wall ends with a semi-circular apse that has no openings.
Two lines of six columns divide the inside area in three distinct naves, allcovered with a wood trusses ceiling.
The original remains were found during the restoration work, still in progress.
During the Jubilee in 2000, the area behind the perish was equipped with tables, chairs and a drinking fountain to offer a resting point to pilgrims.
