Church San Sepolcro Gerusalemme - Pisa

It already existed in 1113, so its construction took place in the 12th century, as part of a complex of buildings intended for the Order of the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem and not for the Templars as is often incorrectly claimed.

The complex later passed into the hands of the Order of the Knights of Malta, heir to the Knights Hospitaller. From 1817, when the order was lifted, it went through a period of disrepair, until restoration work in 1849 revealed the original floor level, which was therefore more than a meter below the level of the surrounding square.

The entrances consist of three portals to the south, west and north; it cannot be ruled out that there was also an east portal, ie the building was free on all sides and not leaning against a building body as is the case today.

The bust-reliquary of Saint Ubaldesca (15th century) with the bucket that would have belonged to the saint and with which she drew water from the holy well in the church, is to the right of the entrance door closed by a metal grille. Also known is the tombstone of Maria Mancini, niece of Cardinal Mazarin and favorite of Sun King Louis XIV of France. The church also has an interesting 15th-century painting on wood, the Madonna and Child.

The name Holy Sepulcher comes from the Crusade led by the Archbishop of Pisa Daiberto. When they returned home, the Pisans wanted to erect a building that was simultaneously church, hospital, hotel and monastery.

The construction of churches, generally with a central plan, octagonal or circular, was common throughout Europe in the 12th century, after the first Crusades, following the example of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and especially of the part containing the Anastasis. was named from the ancient Constantinian basilica.

Willem Vandenameele