Discover all you need to know about the most beautiful churches in San Gimignano for cruise passengers to the port of Livorno in 2023: reviews, photos, and essential info.
Regardless of whether you are visiting San Gimignano on a cruise ship excursion or exploring the medieval town on your own, the Collegiata Santa Maria Assunta on Piazza Duomo is a must-visit site.
The Collegiata Santa Maria Assunta does not look much from the outside, but the visitor will find an interior lavishly decorated. The Chiesa di Sant’Agostino (St. Augustine's Church) is another surprising site with a richly embellished interior.
Must Know: The combined ticket to visit all major sites of San Gimignano including the Collegiata, the Chapel of St. Fina and the Museum of Sacred Art costs € 7.50. This special ticket also offers a discount of € 1.00 on car parking.
1. Collegiata Santa Maria Assunta
Duomo (Cathedral)
The Collegiata is no longer considered a cathedral because San Gimignano does not have a bishop, but it is still the city’s main church. Constructed in 1148 and enlarged in the late 1460s, the Collegiata may not be much to look at from the outside, but visitors will find an interior lavishly decorated with 14th-century frescoes. Tuscany’s most decorated church interior, the patchwork of frescoes has been compared to that of a comic book. Some of the artists represented in the artistic display include Benozzo Gozzoli, Barna da Siena, Bartolo di Fredi, Giuliano, and Benedetto da Maiano. Some of the artwork has been removed from the church, but visitors can find them well-preserved in one of the San Gimignano’s museums.
Collegiata
Photo: louis garden CC-BY-SA
| Where | Historical Centre |
|---|---|
| Address: | Piazza Duomo |
| Open: | April 1 to October 31 Mon to Fri: 10:00 am - 7.30pm | Sat.: 10:00 am - 5.30pm | Sun. and holy days: 12.30am - 7.30pm |
| Closed to Tourism: | March 12; 1st Sunday of August; November 15 and 30; December 25; January 1, 15 and 31. |
| Entrance: | € 4.00 |
| Website: | www.duomosangimignano.it |
2. Chiesa di San Francesco
(Church of St. Francis)
The remains of the church of Convento di San Francesco lie on a widening, on the right side of Via San Giovanni, a few steps after the entrance gate, the homonyms Porta San Giovanni. Its beautiful white-travertine facade, sided by two brick houses, has horizontal stripes of dark serpentine that recalls the Pisan style. The portal is surmounted by a double arch enclosing the symbol of the knights of Jerusalem, the rich order of warrior monks whose task was defending the Holy Sepulchre. These remains give evidence for the severe beauty of this church belonging to the Franciscan Order, originally a Magione of the Knights with a hospice for the many pilgrims and travelers along the Via Francigena.
San Francesco
Photo: Markus Mark Public Domain
| Where | Historical Centre |
|---|---|
| Address: | Via San Matteo |
| Open: | Everyday |
| Entrance: | FREE |
3. Chiesa di Sant’Agostino
(St. Augustine's Church)
Although the Chiesa di Sant’ Agostino was built in the 13th century, it is most notable for its 15th century frescoes. After the plague swept through the town in 1464, the citizens prayed to Saint Gimignano to make it end. After the sickness passed, the town hired Benozzo Gozzoli to paint a mural on the left wall of the nave featuring their patron saint. Pleased with Gozzoli’s work, the town then commissioned him to paint frescoes on the choir of Saint Augustine’s life. Also of note in the church is Benedetto da Maiano’s elaborate tomb in the Cappella di San Bartolo.
San Agostino
Photo: Markus Mark Public Domain
| Where | Historical Centre |
|---|---|
| Address: | Piazza Sant'Agostino |
| Open: | January to March - Mon: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm | Tue to Sun: 10:00 am - noon and 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm April to October: 10:00 am - noon and 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm November and December 10:00 am - noon and 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm |
| Entrance: | FREE |
4. Chiesa di San Bartolo
(Church of Santo Bartolo)
The humble but beautiful facade of this church, built in 1173, is a testament to the era when the Knights Templar traveled trough Tuscany on their way to Jerusalem. This is clearly patent in the Greek Cross that adorns the portal. Initially devoted to Saint Mathew, it changed devotion after the death of St. Bartolo, a son of the city.
San Gimignano - Chiesa Di San Bartolo
Photo: Vignaccia76 CC-By-SA
| Where | Historical Centre |
|---|---|
| Address: | Via San Matteo |
| Open: | Everyday: 8:00 am to 7:00 pm |
| Entrance: | FREE |
5. Chiesa di San Jacopo
(Church of St. Jacopo)
Just before the exit of the city walls, at the end of Via Folgore, this small church is a relic of the days when the Knights Templar sojourned in San Gimignano on their way to Jerusalem. It is said that it was built during the return from the First Crusade but historical facts do not confirm the legend. Even so, the frescoes depicting the life of San Jacobo are worth a visit.
San Jacopo Al Tempio
Photo: Vignaccia76 CC-By-SA
| Where | Historical Centre |
|---|---|
| Address: | Via Folgóre da San Gimignano |
| Open: | 1st Sunday of each month: 9.30 am to noon. |
| Entrance: | FREE |
