The building of the cathedral of Pisa, above described, awoke great desire in the minds of many throughout Italy, but more especially in Tuscany, for the undertaking of noble enterprises ; and the church of San Paolo was commenced in the city of Pistoja, in the year 1032, the Beato[1] Atto, bishop of that city, being present, as we read in a contract made at the time. Many other edifices were erected at that period from the same cause, but to name them here would detain us too long. I will, nevertheless, not omit to mention, that in the year 1060, the round church of San Giovanni was built in Pisa opposite to the cathedral, and in the same piazza with that church.[2] Respecting this building a fact is related which would seem incredible, were it not recorded in an old book of the works of the cathedral, namely, that the columns of this same San Giovanni, with the pilasters and arches, were erected in fifteen days, and no more. In the same book, which any one may examine who shall desire to do so, we read that a tax of one danaio per hearth was laid on the people for this building ; but we are not told whether the coin was of gold or of copper. There were 34,000 fires at this time in Pisa, as may be gathered from the same book. The work was certainly a very great one, of excessive cost, and difficult to execute, the vaulted roof of the Tribune more particularly, this having the form of a pear and being covered with lead. The external walls are nearly hidden by the abundance of columns and carvings of various kinds, and in the frieze of the central door is the figure of Jesus Christ with his twelve apostles, in mezzo-rilievo, executed in the Greek manner.
At the same time, that is, towards the year 1061, the people of Lucca, in rivalry of the Pisans, began their church of San Martino, after the design of certain scholars of Bus
- ↑ The “ Beato” of the Catholic hierarchy is a person of highly sanctified character, but who has not received all the honours of canonization, and is in so much of inferior grade to the Saint.— E. F.
- ↑ The Baptistery was not founded in 1060, but 1153, as may be seen on a pilaster at the right of the entrance, where is the following inscription: “ mcliii—mense aug. fondata fuit haec ecclesia.” On the opposite side are the following words: “ Deotisalvi magister hujus operis.”—Ed. Flor.
have been imposed on by some one of his learned friends, who seems to have trusted that he would receive Turpin, Roland, and Oliver as historical personages.
