Facciata Chiesa di Santa Maria della Spina e Lungarno (A. Matteucci)
Church of Santa Maria della Spina
Facciata Chiesa di Santa Maria della Spina e Lungarno (A. Matteucci)We do not have a certain date for the foundation of the church, which was four meters below the current level, on the bed of the river, but we know that it had the name of oratory of Santa Maria in Pontenovo. In 1325, works started that led it to assume the gothic form that we can observe today. The name Spina derives from the relic of the thorn of Christ's crownpresent in the building since 1333, left to the Longhi family by a wealthy merchant and later donated to the small oratory (today the relic is in the church of Santa Chiara). The church is owned by the Municipality of Pisa and hosts temporary exhibitions.
