Parish Church of Cornacchiaia

The Parish Church of San Giovanni Battista Decollato, in the village of Cornacchiaia, in Firenzuola, is one of the most important religious buildings in the Florentine Apennines, with its structure bearing the marks of centuries of history. It stands along an ancient route, likely of Etruscan origin, which connected Fiesole to Felsina—now Bologna. It is said that this place of worship was founded by Saint Zanobi between the 4ᵗʰ and 5ᵗʰ centuries on the site of a pre-existing Roman temple. Artifacts discovered during the 1974 excavations hint at the presence of older structures, while the current building dates back to the 2ⁿᵈ half of the 12ᵗʰ century and shares many features with the nearby Church of Sant’Agata.

The dedication to Saint John the Baptist the Beheaded dates back to the 14ᵗʰ century, when the area came under Florentine influence. Since then, the parish church has served as an important religious and social hub for the rural communities in the surrounding valleys.

Despite numerous renovations, the parish church still preserves important examples of Apennine Romanesque architecture, visible above all in the façade and the main portal, adorned with interlaced motifs, 12 studs symbolizing the apostles and a Greek cross carved into the lintel. In the lunette is the Christ Pantocrator painted by Antonio Pittaco in 1903, while on the north wall is a 2ⁿᵈ portal that was subsequently bricked up. Inside, the 3 naves feature capitals carved with animal figures and symbolic motifs, as well as traces of the original structures that were uncovered during the 1974 restoration works.

The complex is completed by a bell tower, built atop an ancient Lombard tower and still home to a medieval bell. Nestled in the mountainous landscape of Cornacchiaia, the parish church is thus not only a precious architectural and artistic treasure but also a place of collective memory, capable of recounting—through its very stones—the bond between faith, history, community and the local area.