S. Andrea

Via Roma 16 Montecarlo Lucca

The church was built between 1332 and 1334 at the same time of the village. So it was dedicated to S. Andrea, as the church of the previous village Vivinaia. It was given a baptismal font, and it assumed the functions of the parish church of San Piero in Campo in a little space o f time. Actually, it has an exterior face made up of bricks that lies upon the older inferior part of the front, built with sandstone blocks. Even the bell tower has been rebuilt at the beginning of the XX century, higher than the original one that did not exceed the front. The chuch has three naves, with the aisles formed by a series of chapels. In the interior, the crypt with sail vaults on pilasters makes the floor of the presbytery lift up. Shelter of the laws of the Town Council, it was seat and cemetery of the Compagnia della Madonna del Soccorso. In the presbytery the high altar preserves the relics of san Vincenzino, arrived to Montecarlo from the catacombs of Santa Ciriaca in Rome. One of the chapels is that of the Madonna del Rosario.There you can visit the parish museum where you can admire, among the other works of art, a Madonna col Bambino, painting on wood by Francesco Anguilla, which dates back to 1434 and a statue of Sant’Antonio dated to the second half of the XV century. In the chapel of Madonna del Soccorso, there is a fresco by the florentine school of the end of XV century, which has been venerated from local people for many centuries, that represents the Vergine saving a child from the devil.