Pieve di San Leonardo, Medieval parish church in Artimino, Italy.
Pieve di San Leonardo is a Romanesque parish church in Carmignano featuring three naves and three apses characteristic of the style. The building has thick stone walls and underwent restoration in the 20th century to preserve its original structure.
The church first appeared in written records during the reign of Emperor Otto III in 998. It experienced significant expansion in the 12th century under Countess Matilda of Tuscany, when it took on much of its present form.
The church was first dedicated to the Virgin and only in the 16th century received the co-dedication to Saint Leonard. Its name in full is pieve di Santa Maria e di San Leonardo. Popular legend credits Duchess Matilda of Tuscany with founding the building, though the 998 diploma of Otto III already lists a plebs at Artimino.
The church stands on Via della Chiesa 19/a, just outside the former castle walls of Artimino, a short walk from the Villa Medicea La Ferdinanda. Access is from the village centre on foot; the facade is reached by a staircase and partly screened by a 16th-century portico. The three exterior apses at the rear are the most rewarding side to view.
The Etruscan figured urns set into the masonry under the loggia and in the bell tower are now copies; the originals were moved to the local archaeological museum. Their presence suggests a cult practice of distant origin on this site, and the bell tower itself may derive from one of the castle's watch-towers.
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