The church of San Romano is part of the oldest and most influential Dominican convent in Lucca: the Convent of San Romano.
The church was consecrated in 1281 and has played a very important role in the civil and religious life of the city from the very beginning. The close relationship with Girolamo Savonarola and the religious and cultural environment connected to him is significant: the Savonarolian friars expelled from Florence for their devotion to the friar found refuge in San Romano.
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ADDRESS: Piazza San Romano, Lucca
During the Napoleonic era, the princess of Lucca Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi (1805-1815) decided to suppress the convent of San Romano and reuse it as an archive for all the state offices that were located in the nearby government palace.
The church façade, which remained unfinished, lost importance as the main entrance in favour of the left side of the building, to whose entrance door a portico was added in the 16th century. Remains of tombs of members of Lucca's noble families are still evident on the left side.
The church has a single nave, covered by a barrel vault on arches supported by massive pillars and adorned with stucco decoration. Behind the high altar is the sepulchral monument by Lucchese artist Matteo Civitali from 1490, containing the relics of San Romano. The church has two mechanical organs located in the nave at the corner with the transept: the one on the left is the oldest and dates back to the 17th century; the marble choir stalls date back to the early 18th century.
Puccini Itinerary
The progenitor of the Puccini dynasty, Giacomo senior, born in Celle dei Puccini in 1712, held the prestigious positions in the city of Maestro della Cappella di Palazzo della Repubblica Lucchese, organist of the cathedral of San Martino and other positions in the main churches of Lucca. In 1774, he purchased a tomb for himself and his heirs in the Church of San Romano: the tomb is in the centre of the church, between the two organs, and houses Giacomo senior, his widow Angela Piccinini and three of his grandchildren.