Santa Maria della Spina

The church, erected around 1230 in the Pisan Gothic style, and enlarged after 1325,[1] was originally known as Santa Maria di Pontenovo for the newer bridge[2] that existed nearby, collapsed in the 15th century, and was never rebuilt.

The church of Santa Maria della Spina has always been administered by the city,[4] except for short interruptions in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries when it fell to the responsibility of the local hospital.

The exterior appearance is marked by cusps, tympani and tabernacles, together with a rich sculptural decoration with tarsiae, rose-windows and numerous statues from the main Pisane artists of the early 14th century.

The south façade, alongside the street, is also abundantly furnished with cusps and thirteen statues of the Apostles and Christ by Lupo's workshop.

The small sculptures over the tympani portraying Saints and Angels are from Nino Pisano's workshop, while the niche in the right pillar has a Madonna and Child by Giovanni di Balduccio.