Co-Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul
In Piazza Gregorio VII we admire the structure of the Co-Cathedral (the Cathedral of Pitigliano) in eighteenth-century baroque style, dedicated to SS. Pietro e Paolo and the adjacent loggia, consisting of two rows of arches with cross vaults. Nothing remains of the original Church, with a Romanesque layout with a single hall dedicated to "Sancti Petri", due to the subsequent sixteenth-century renovation, of which today we can only admire the portal with tympanum and columns. In the structural renovation of the church and the current front in Baroque style, powerful pilasters adorned with architectural volute stuccos and two niches with the statues of Peter and Paul were added in 1758. Above the two orders of the facade is a Carrara marble bas-relief in the center, on which is, depicted the Assumption of the Virgin between angels and the saints, Rocco and Antonio. Attached to the church structure, the three-tiered bell tower (35 meters high), a defining factor for the town of Pitigliano, soars high into the sky. Inside, the baptismal font from the 16th century precedes the valuable canvas by Francesco Vanni (1563-1610), on which the Madonna of the Rosary is reproduced. In the presbytery there are two large canvases by the painter Pietro Aldi (1885), dedicated to Ildebrando Aldobrandeschi (Pope Gregory VII). The first canvas depicts the humiliation of Henry IV in Canossa and in the other, Hildebrand receives his divine vocation in the workshop of his parent Bonizo. In the main altar, the spectacular machine shows off its magnificence, composed of six golden columns with angels holding a large crown.
Church of San Rocco
The church of San Rocco present in 1066, in the possessions of the diocese of Sovana, with the title of Santa Maria, was built on top of an ancient pagan temple. Today, of the primitive Romanesque building (12th century), we can only see an interesting sculpture, ornamenta acclesiae, inserted on the west side. This is a sculptural work created by a stonemason influenced by the Romanesque - Lombard culture which represents a male figure with a full beard placed centrally, symbolizing the firmness and strength to oppose the temptation of evil, between the two "bestial" figures. The church has an elevated entrance, reachable by two easy staircases connected at the bottom by a fountain with a rectangular basin. The sixteenth-century facade with rose window, in which S. Rocco is represented; the interior of the ecclesiastical building has a trapezoidal plan with a hall, transept, apsidal hemicycle, presbytery and the adjacent bell tower. The roof construction scheme has three naves, with travertine columns of various ornamentation. In the apse, human figures appear in the plaster, painted in the expressive sacredness of warm and serene tones, observing above the majesty of the Virgin, assumed into heaven among clouds and angels, wrapped in the fluidity of the drapery. On the tympanum wall, above the apse, some polychrome coats of arms can be distinguished, belonging to some Bishops who succeeded one another in the Diocese. Others depict the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, that of the House of Savoy and the seventeenth-century coat of arms of the community of Pitigliano. On the external wall at the entrance to the bell tower there is the fresco of the "Madonna del viandante" (16th century), torn from the original place, placed inside an aedicule, outside the town.
Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie
The ecclesial structure dedicated to the Marian cult is venerated by the population as the oldest diocesan sanctuary, probably built before 1400 when the Conventual Franciscans took care of its custody. In 1580, in the scorching heat of the summer months, an epidemic developed in Pitigliano, seriously causing a large number of deaths. The population, struck to the depths of their soul, turned with renewed devotion to the Madonna delle Grazie, expressing a solemn vow to the sanctuary, located outside the city centre. Once the evil was eradicated through the intercession of the Madonna, the first procession was held on 2 July 1581 until 1783 when the rite of the procession was moved to 8 September for the anniversary of the name of Mary. From then until today the Sacred Image has been venerated of the Blessed Virgin, preserved in a niche inside the Sanctuary, and placed for viewing by the numerous faithful.
Church of Santa Maria Assunta
The church of S. Maria Assunta built in 1843 was ordered by Grand Duke Leopold II of Tuscany and consecrated in 1855. The large entrance portal, composed of a pediment with a triangular frame and shelves, features a modern mosaic composed of glass tiles depicting the Virgin showing her immaculate heart. The interior has a single nave with three cross vaults supported by eight pillars, on the east wall there are sacred images represented in three multicolored windows. In the apse a large painting displays the Assumption, Saint Clare and another saint; in the small side chapels there are two opposing statues of the Madonna in a light blue drapery and the blessing Christ.
