Church of St. Peter
There's an important church in Pontremoli, along the Via Francigena pilgrims' way.
St. Peter's Church is one of the oldest in Pontremoli, a landmark for pilgrims travelling on the Via Francigena. The building, rebuilt after the Second World War, has a very interesting evidence of the Middle Ages: on the right wall there’s a 12th century sandstone slab depicting a circular maze, very similar to the one carved on the façade of the Duomo of San Martino in Lucca. In a broader sense, the labyrinth represented the life of the Christian looking for a just life to be pursued along a tortuous path.
On the top of the labyrinth there are two characters riding their horses, face to face, maybe as a symbol of a traveller and the possible dangers along his way.
In Lunigiana, along the Via Francigena, there are many testimonies of tragic journeys, made by illustrious characters, who were buried in churches near the place of death (this is the case of San Terenzio, represented in four canvases in the Fivizzano church bearing the same name). These saints and martyrs attracted other pilgrims from farther countries, keeping alive the tradition of walking along the Via Francigena.
