GREZZANO (BORGO SAN LORENZO) – While the Grezzano town is remembered by documents since 1037 as the feud of Guidi Counts, the existence of the church of S. Stefano can be already found in 1086, when its rector was nominated. Also, the book of Montaperti mentions the church of S. Stefano in Grezzano. In 1508, the church of S. Stefano became part of the heritage of the Florentine Spedale di S. Maria Nuova, with the right, among other things, to appoint the priory. Apart from the details mentioned above, the historical information about the Church are scarce; at the beginning of the twentieth century it was entirely decorated by Dino Chini and was then extensively restored at the beginning of the 1960s when it took on a neo-medieval appearance, especially outside, losing other decorations made by Chini. The church stands with small, irregular sandstone sketches; it shows a hut-shaped façade and on the left side stands the tower bell tower.
Artistic works
Inside, with a wooden roof covering and a cross vault probably from the Renaissance, there are several works of some interest. On the right altar, there is a canvas depicting the Madonna of the Rosary between the saints Domenico, Catherine of Siena and Ludovico of France, made in 1654. The representation it is usually referred to Francesco Curradi (Florence, 1570-1661) for stylistic reasons, and in this case, it would be attributable to the final phase of his long career and, it is possible to recognise in the face of the French holy king the portrait of the Prior Giacinto Graziani. In the presbytery area, there is a group of works of great interest, beginning with the two bells, placed on the floor, probably originating from the old bell tower, dated 1283 (work of Bonaguida master) and 1420 respectively, both rare examples of medieval master artefacts of that kind. Under the canopy of the main altar (modern, made in the 1930s by the commission of the Dapples family), there are two stone fragments with carved medieval twisted ribbon decorations (XII century ?), possibly coming from sections of the former church of S. Stefano. To the right of the central chapel, there is a Eucharistic tabernacle in pietra serena, carved in the late fifteenth century. On the other side, there is a grand tabernacle made of polychrome and glazed majolica, a work referable to Giovanni della Robbia and which presents, at the bottom, the small coat of arms of the Spedale of S. Maria Nuova. Furthermore, the church of S, Stefano also holds an interesting cross in the style of the fifteenth-century, in gold-plated and engraved copper, a type of artefact quite common in Tuscany during the the 14th and 15th centuries.
Interior and external photos
© Il Filo – Idee e Notizie dal Mugello
