Church of Sant Anna - Pisa

The church and the adjacent monastery building were built for the Benedictine nuns from 1406: the church was consecrated in 1426; in 1741-47 she was completely rebuilt.

Since 1668, the complex has included the church and monastery of San Girolamo dei Gesuati.

The monastic community was dissolved in 1786 and the building was used as a boarding school in 1809.

Since 1975 it has been the seat of the Scuola superiore di studi universitari e perfezionamento; when it merged with the Conservatorio di Sant'Anna in 1987, the institute was given the condition to keep its previous name: it was thus given the name Scuola superiore di studi universitari e perfezionamento Sant'Anna.

In the cloister traces of frescoes and a column from the 13th century; in the cloister (former monastery of St. Jerome) graffiti and frescoes depicting the life of Blessed Filippo Gambacorti (16th-17th century).

In the choir loft, above the main entrance, is the organ built in 1850 by Nicomede Agati, a member of the well-known Pistoia organ builder family; the organ was recently restored by the organ builder Nicola Puccini, giving it back its former splendor and making it accessible again to the public of Pisa, who can listen to it during the concerts organized annually by the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, whose premises adjoin to the church itself.

The church is a stone's throw from the church of San Giuseppe, with which it shares a similar pastel-colored stucco facade.

Willem Vandenameele