Torre di Matilde, Romanesque bell tower in San Miniato, Italy.
Torre di Matilde is a square-plan Romanesque bell tower beside the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and San Genesio in San Miniato. Its crowning structure carries terminal niches added in the 13th century, and in 1489, after the cathedral was rebuilt, the tower was joined to the church. It is a bell tower, not a museum.
The tower's construction date is uncertain; it is thought to have been built in the 12th century, when it formed part of San Miniato's fortifications alongside the Rocca di Federico II and the Torre delle Cornacchie, demolished in the 18th century. A clock was installed in 1438, and in 1489, after the cathedral was remodelled, the tower was connected to the church. It later served as a prison in the early 19th century and housed a telegraph from 1810.
The name comes from a legend, considered unfounded, that Matilda of Canossa was born in the adjoining Palazzo dei Vicari. The tower was linked to the cathedral in 1489 after the church was rebuilt, and a clock was installed in 1438. Visitors reach it through the Museo diocesano di Arte Sacra, which handles tickets and opening hours.
Visits run on a ticket, with hours and rates posted on the website of the Museo diocesano di Arte Sacra di San Miniato. The tower stands beside the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta e San Genesio, so the two can be seen together. Restoration work begun in 2010 ended in November 2014, when the tower reopened to visitors.
The tower still shows visible signs of its earlier life as a defensive fortification. You can notice how the original military structure was adapted when it became part of the cathedral.
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