The Church of San Sisto in Cortevecchia is located near the Piazza dei Cavalieri.
It is one of the oldest churches in Pisa. Construction is believed to have started in 1070, seven years after the foundation of the Cathedral, although some sources date consecration by Archbishop Umberto Lanfranchi to the year 1132.
According to some documents, from 1094 the building was used as a place for the rogation of the deeds of the Commune of Pisa, under whose patronage the church was and remained until modern times.
The church was dedicated to St. Sixtus because on the day of St. Sixtus (6 August) the Pisans won several important battles: Reggio Calabria in 1006, Palermo in 1063, and against the Genoans in 1072. But the date did not always bring luck to Pisa: on 6 August 1284 the Pisan fleet was routed at Meloria. From 1562 to 1565, pending the construction of a new church, San Sisto was the seat of the Order of the Knights of St. Stephen.
The church is built of stone in the Pisan Romanesque style, with a nave and two aisles separated by granite columns topped by reused capitals dating from the classical period. The façade is decorated with blind arches and ceramic basins.
Where: Piazza Buonamici - Pisa
Ph: 050-48290
Web: www.pisaturismo.it
