Abbey of San Martino in Campo

The Abbey of San Martino in Campo, located in the municipality of Capraia e Limite in the province of Florence, but belonging to the diocese of Pistoia, was founded in the 11th century as a Benedictine monastery and was almost completely rebuilt in the 12th century after a probable collapse. The building may have originally been a hospital for pilgrims, located along an important medieval communication route that connected the Arno with the Pistoia area and was also frequented by pilgrims heading to Santiago de Compostela. The first certain record of it dates back to 1057, when the bishop of Pistoia Martino established the "monasterium S. Martini situm Casa Nova". Over the centuries, the church underwent various changes: it initially had three naves, but in the 15th century the left nave was removed due to subsidence of the ground, giving the interior an asymmetrical appearance that is still visible today.

The property is located in a panoramic position on the hills between Artimino and Carmignano, areas of great scenic and historical value, a land of DOCG wines and still a place of peace and reflection, surrounded by nature. The abbey was inhabited by Benedictine monks until 1464, the year in which it was damaged, probably by the army of Lucca. In the 16th century, the monastery was suppressed and its assets were given in commendam to the Frescobaldi family (the family coat of arms on the 14th-century sandstone portal at the entrance can still be admired today), who retained patronage until the 17th century and transformed the building from a monastery into a parish church. In the 19th century, following an adjustment of the municipal boundaries, the abbey became part of the administrative territory of Capraia e Limite, although it remained ecclesiastically linked to Pistoia.

The building, which was restored in the 1950s, lost some of its Baroque additions, bringing back the original Romanesque layout and highlighting a construction phase that probably dates back to the 10th century. On the outside, you can still see the foundations of the previous Lombard-Ravenna-style round bell tower and the three apses that bring to mind similar structures at the nearby Church of San Leonardo in Artimino.

Inside, the abbey contains an important 15th-century fresco depicting the Madonna Enthroned between Saints Anthony Abbot, Martin, Nicholas and Lucy, attributed to a Tuscan painter linked to late Gothic tradition.

Thanks to recent renovation work, it is now possible to find accommodation near the abbey, ideally evoking the tradition of hospitality offered to pilgrims that characterized its origin. Today, the complex is a precious asset and is located in a unique spiritual and cultural landscape, having witnessed a long historical journey from the early Middle Ages to the present day.