San Giusto, Romanesque church in Lucca, Italy
San Giusto is a Romanesque church in Lucca featuring three separate entrances with a facade decorated in white and black stripes. The interior is organized by a central nave with two side aisles and multiple apses that form a structured layout.
The church was built in the second half of the 12th century, replacing an earlier religious structure at the same location. During the 17th century, the interior underwent Baroque modifications that contrast with the Romanesque exterior.
The central portal comes from Guidetto's workshop and carries two twisting atlases, one now partly missing, holding two lions that jut out beside the lunette. The rest of the carving shows plant motifs and fantastic creatures, and the side portals are limited to carved capitals. The church is named after Giustino Salce, a 12th-century Italian.
The church stands on the piazza of the same name, with the main front facing the square. The central portal, flanked by two twisting atlases and two protruding lions, is the widest of the three entrances; the side portals are narrower and simpler. The interior is fully Baroque, so the striped Romanesque façade gives no hint of what is inside.
The archivolt of the central portal displays an eye-catching pattern of alternating black and white rows resting on cubic bases featuring Classical masks. This unusual design subtly combines geometric precision with figural elements.
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