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The Church of Santi Giovanni and Reparata was the first cathedral in Lucca.
It is located in the oldest part of the historical centre of Lucca and in the immediate vicinity of the current Cathedral of San Martino. It was formerly the cathedral of Lucca. The Romanesque building was constructed several times during the second half of the 12th century on an area that had been densely inhabited since ancient times. The building underwent further modifications from the early Middle Ages until it reached its current appearance.
At the end of the 14th century, the baptistery with an ogival dome was built. The most significant transformation of the building, however, occurred in the 16th century when the medieval side openings were replaced with modern light sources, the façade was raised and a coffered ceiling was built. Finally, in the 17th century, the Baroque chapel dedicated to St Ignatius was added to the northern flank of the building.
During the Napoleonic era, it became the building-custodian of the archives of the former Republic and was consecrated again in 1828. Between 1840 and 1870, the church became a mausoleum of local glories and houses the tombs of illustrious personalities and memorial tablets. The current building is a three-nave basilica with a transept, covered with a wooden ceiling. The façade is made of white limestone, while the rest of the building consists mainly of sandstone or brick masonry. The interior is largely plastered and painted in imitation stone. The transept, in direct communication with the large square baptistery, is almost entirely built of brick. The three naves are divided by columns with composite capitals, many of which are reused from Roman times.
Excavations undertaken in the 1970s brought to light an archaeological site, which is now accessible. The excavations inside the site preserve the primitive layout of the 5th century basilica and the early Christian baptistery. In correspondence with the latter, a stratification of five levels has been recovered, corresponding to the five main phases of Lucca's history, from the Romans to the late empire, a period in which the area became the site of the first cathedral, the remains of which are located below the excavations of the basilica. The complex includes the remains of a Roman domus from the 1st century B.C., the baths from the 1st-2nd century A.D., the early Christian church and baptistery, tombs from the Longobard period, the remains of the early medieval baptistery and the Carolingian crypt, as well as the baptismal font decorated with coloured marble inlays.
The church is part of the Cathedral Archaeological Complex, which also includes the Cathedral of St. Martin, the Cathedral bell tower and the Cathedral Museum.
Puccini Itinerary
The church of San Giovanni e Reparata is where the funeral of his father Michele took place. During the funeral oration, the musician Giovanni Pacini pronounced what seemed to be a predestination, wishing for the young Giacomo the continuation of the Puccini musical dynasty: ‘Voi fratelli direttissimi, ben volgerete un pensiero alla ottuagenaria Madre (Angela Cerù), ad una desolata Sposa (Albina Magi), a sei tenere fanciullette (le sorelle) ad un garzoncello (Giacomo), solo superstite ed erede di quella gloria (his brother Michael was born on April 19 of that same year), che i suoi antenati ben meritono nell'arte armonica, e che forse potrà far rivivere un giorno’.