Facciata - Palazzo dei Cavalieri di Santo Stefano (G. Bettini, Comune di Pisa)Among the historical buildings of Piazza dei Cavalieri the church of Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri stands out. The church was built starting from 1565 on a design by Vasari and took the place of the ancient church of San Sebastiano alle Fabbriche Maggiori (11th century). The façade was finished in the seventeenth century while the lateral bodies were added only in 1934. The bell tower was erected by Giovanni Fancelli in 1572. The single-chamber interior displays numerous trophies of the naval battkles of the Medici fleet, fragments of boats and flags from the battle of Lepanto, including the one that was wavingfrom the mast of the ship of Mehmet Alì Pascià. Flags that taken from the infidels in clashes with the Turks. The monochromes on the walls narrate the life of the Saint, while the small Pulpit by Chiarissimo Fancelli (1627) is the one that was placed in the Cathedral to replace the Pulpit by Giovanni Pisano, following the fire of 1595. Among the works of great prestige there is The Lapidationof Santo Stefano by Giorgio Vasari of 1571 and the Nativity of Christ by Bronzino of 1564(in theleft nave), as well as the military episodes of the Order depicted in the paintings of the wooden ceiling created by Bartolomeo Atticciati, by artists like Cigoli and Jacopo Ligozzi. The altar by Foggini frames the urn that preserves the relics of Santo Stefano. The reliquary bust of San Lussorio (San Rossore), by Donatello, is now in the National Museum of San Matteo..
