Pieve di S. Andrea

Documented from the 12th century onwards, the building probably stands as a parish church of a later addition to the original core of the settlement, which developed around the church of St Basil, which was replaced by the Cathedral of St Mary of the Assumption. Next to St Andrew's was the old town hall and the church portico was used for the administration of justice. The original structure with three naves and semicircular apses, highlighted under the flooring by excavations conducted in 1969-73, was enlarged during the 14th century, as documented in the Statutes of Sarzana of 1330. The current layout, with a large single hall covered by a barrel vault and raised presbytery, is the result of radical late 16th-century interventions. The marble baptismal font also dates back to the end of the 16th century (by ancient privilege, the Pieve di S. Andrea was the only religious building where baptism could be administered). Originally located in the small chapel, covered by a cross vault, to the right of the entrance, the work was created by the Carrarese Giovanni Morello, while the wooden cover is by Giulio Giannozzi from Massa. On the façade, characterised by a curious 16th-century portal supported by female herms, are a marble palmette, a relic from Luni, and a slab with an eight-pointed star, the ancient seal of the Sarzana community.