Colle di Val d'Elsa Cathedral

Anciently a pieve of the Holy Saviour (San Salvatore), it is now dedicated to Saints Albert and Martial.

Construction started in 1603 on the site of the old parish church of San Salvatore, expanded during the 11th century by Pisan workers.

Usimbardo Usimbardi, the first bishop of the new Diocese of Colle di Val d'Elsa created in 1592, entrusted the design of the new cathedral to the architect Fausto Rughesi.

The building has a Greek cross plan with a nave and two aisles, divided into four bays by rectangular piers.

Mostly in brick, it is interrupted by two raised areas in sandstone containing the side portals, under cornices of travertine, running along the frontage at the level of the base of the second storey.