The Church of Saints Paolino and Donato is the only example of a church built in the Renaissance style in the city.
Originally dedicated to Saint George, after the discovery of the bones of Saint Paulinus in 1261 and the destruction of the neighbouring church of San Donato, the building was rebuilt in 1513 in the style of the period, based on a design by Baccio da Montelupo and dedicated to Saints Paulinus and Donatus.
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ADDRESS: Via San Paolino, Lucca
TEL: 0583 53576
The façade is very simple and linear in its details, with statues of the two saints on either side of the main door. What makes the interior special is the stone finish and barrel vault, as well as the fact that it has retained its original furnishings with paintings and sculptures.
San Paolino is the patron saint of the city of Lucca. He is a mysterious figure whose story is not very well known. He is celebrated on July 12, the feast day of San Paolino.
Inside the church, three paintings depict the city of Lucca surrounded by Roman, medieval and Renaissance walls. The first is to the right of the entrance, on the counter-façade wall. It is a painting by Amico Aspertini depicting Saint Paulinus holding the city of Lucca surrounded by medieval walls. The limestone corner towers and curtain walls are visible.
The second, depicting the city in the Middle Ages, is a painting by Baldassarre di Biagio depicting the Coronation of the Virgin, kept in the left transept of the church. Beyond the drawbridge, you can see the many towers that characterised the town at the time.
Finally, in the right transept, a last painting depicts the Miracle of San Paolino in a bird's-eye view from a wall overlooking the port of San Donato and the brick wall.
On July 12 1664, the feast of the saint, one of the cannons placed in the square of the bastion of San Donato, which was to fire salvos, unloaded a burst of machine-gun fire on a group of devotees who were entering the town through the gate of San Donato, hitting many people who, thanks to the saint's intervention, were not injured.
Puccini itineraries
The church of San Paolino was the parish church of the Puccini family.
In 1877, at the age of just over 18, Puccini introduced himself to his fellow citizens as a composer with the Mottetto ‘Plaudite populi’ dedicated to San Paolino; the favourable reviews of this work meant that it was revived in 1878 for the same feast along with a Credo, also by Puccini; The two pieces were then included in the premiere of the Messa a 4 voci with orchestra, on 12 July 1880, which was the crowning achievement of his studies at the Istituto Musicale ‘G. Pacini’ in Lucca (now the Istituto Musicale Luigi Boccherini).