The building was originally dedicated to San Mamiliano, as the inscription on the architrave of the main portal still remembers. The dedication to this saint is very particular, as his cult was widespread especially in the area of the Tuscan Archipelago and in Upper Lazio, while in our area it was completely absent. Documented as early as the 8th century. it was annexed to a monastic complex; while from the twelfth century it is mentioned as a priory, in the fourteenth century it appeared to be in the hands of the Augustinian Hermits. Entitled to San Iacopo in the first half of the fifteenth century, shortly afterwards it began to decline due to the continuous raids and the insecure situation in the area, caused by the wars between Pisa and Florence; at the beginning of the sixteenth century it passed into the possession of the Canons of Pescia. During the nineteenth century the remains of the ancient monastery were transformed into a large farmhouse, then privately owned residential villa.
EXTERNAL
The church has a tau (T) plan and masonry in cavernous limestone and verrucano. The gabled facade is divided by a horizontal frame: in the lower part the portal is framed by pilasters, one of which contains a horned animal head in relief, and is dominated by a rich architrave decorated with spirals and tongued leaves most likely belonging to the oldest church; in the upper one opens a mullioned window, with a ring and a marble column, surrounded by various decorative elements, among which a flower-shaped inlay, a bas-relief and a carved stone in figurative relief, dating back to the VIII-IX century, stand out, and depicting a biblical scene. Attached to the left arm of the transept is the massive bell tower, similar in structure to a defensive tower. The bell tower was lowered in height following a mine detonated by retreating German soldiers in 1944.
INTERNAL
The interior, with a single nave and no apse, is moved only by the two short arms of the transept, connected by round arches whose pillars have capitals richly decorated with plant and animal motifs. In the right arm there are fourteenth-century frescoes, detached and recomposed on a table, depicting some saints; from right to left we recognize: a Holy Bishop, perhaps San Mamiliano, San Giovanni Battista and a fragment of a probable San Girolamo. Along the right wall, carved stones found during the restoration of the church were collected: particularly significant are a shelf with a relief motif representing the Dextera Domini (10th century) and a figured slab with a symbolic scene of difficult interpretation, which according to some scholars alludes to the Passion of Christ (9th-10th century).
THE FEAST OF S. JACOPO
Every year in Vicopisano on the occasion of the day dedicated to S. Giacono or Jacopo (25 July) a religious and popular festival is celebrated, organized by the Parish and some voluntary associations.
The celebration which has a sacred character generally develops over two days during which religious functions and popular celebrations are held. The festival has the sou clou with a nocturnal religious procession that goes from the Pieve di S. Maria to the Pieve di S. Jacopo, where the faithful participate in the Mass and where a classical music concert is usually held.
(from Viconet.it)
