Parish Church of San Pietro in Ripoli

The Parish Church of San Pietro in Ripoli was founded around the year 967 A.D. Although among the three main parish churches in the Ripoli area that counts some 16 suffragan churches, it did not sustain any particular wealth even by the second half of the mid-13ᵗʰ century. It was only in the 14ᵗʰ century, under the patronage of the Lupicini family, that restoration and embellishment works began, continuing into later years.
 

Located in the center of the plebian complex of Ripoli, the church has a basilica layout with three roofed naves, finishing with a semicircular apse. Completing the complex is an elegant cloister that embellishes the architectural ensemble.
At one time, the portico was surmounted by statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul that are now preserved inside the building. 

The Renaissance portal took the place of the original Romanesque entrance, of which remains a fragment of the lintel currently safeguarded in the rectory and decorated with bas-reliefs of racemes and bunches of fruit, accompanied by the inscription “IRE MEI DS MISERERE MEI / PERTUM OTN”.

The façade, remodeled during the 20ᵗʰ-century restoration, features two single-lancet windows and an oculus in the upper part, topped by a tympanum with a convex frame and Gothic pinnacles.
The interior of the church is distinguished by a sober and simple layout, interrupted only by the central archway and archivolt of the apsidal single-lancet window, made of alternating serpentine and light-colored stone. 
Notable decorations include a fresco of Christ in Piety among symbols of the Passion attributed to Pietro Nelli, as well as a fragment with the Annunciation found on the left aisle and a processional Cross. 
A fine marble tabernacle from the late-15ᵗʰ century and several 17ᵗʰ-century canvases, including the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist by Orazio Fidani, complete the liturgical apparatus.