Saint Biagio

San Biagio, Lombrici, Camaiore

A church dedicated to San Biagio has been attested in Lombrici since 1083, when a document records a legacy of assets to the church stipulated just inside the church itself: it resulted at the end of the following century depending on the Abbey of San Pietro di Camiaore, while in the Rationes Decimarum - the register of tithes to be paid to the pontiff - of 1260, coinciding with the loss of importance that the Abbey had begun to suffer, is dependent on the Parish Church of Santo Stefano di Camaiore. The building, with a single nave and apse, was however rebuilt in its present form between the 12^th and 13^th centuries, probably in correspondence with an increase in the population of the village which occurred when, in 1226, the nearby castle of Montecastrese was destroyed: the best preserved part is the apse, which shows a certainly regular ancient masonry with squared limestone ashlars finished with a hammer. In the apse, smooth and devoid of decorative elements, there are three single-lancet windows. The situation of the walls in the rest of the building is more complex, showing clear signs of reorganization especially in the areas corresponding to the current openings (single-light windows along the sides; a simple portal and a mullioned window on the façade), referable to a recent restoration work “in style ”which also involved an extensive grouting of the joints: the latter actually prevents today from clearly reading and dating the construction technique accordingly.