The Church of San Silvestro was founded in the 12th century. In 1118 it was granted to Benedictine monks, and in 1331 to Dominican nuns. Having been completely remodelled in the 17th century, all that is left of the original Romanesque style are the semicircular apse and the low campanile at the back, with the lower section built of stone and the upper part of bricks.
The Baroque façade, dating from 1771, is pierced by three portals. Its corners are decorated with two statues portraying St. Sylvester and St. Dominic. The interior is divided into a nave and two aisles decorated in 18th-century style.
The frescoes on the walls are badly damaged and the ceiling has been stripped of the paintings by Aurelio Lomi. The adjoining convent features a façade in the Renaissance style which was also rebuilt in the 17th century. The convent was suppressed by the French in 1810 and converted into a boarding school which has remained in existence to the present day (it now houses a restoration workshop) except for a period when it was an approved school.
Where: Piazza San Silvestro - Pisa
Web: www.pisaturismo.it
