Santa Maria a Talciona, Romanesque church in Poggibonsi, Tuscany, Italy
Santa Maria a Talciona is a Romanesque church in Poggibonsi, Tuscany, dating to the 12th century and listed as part of Italy's national heritage. The building has a single nave ending in a small rounded apse, a stone facade with a round window and an arched doorway, and a bell tower in red brick added in the late 16th century.
The church was built in the 12th century and extended in the 13th century with an additional bay attached to the original single-nave structure. In the 15th century it was placed under the care of Santa Maria Nuova in Florence, which explains why the facade carries elements of the Florentine style.
The small rounded apse at the end of the nave is carved with a human head and peacock motifs, birds traditionally linked to paradise in Christian art. A terracotta tabernacle from the early 16th century, decorated with cherub faces and plant motifs, shows how carefully the local community maintained its place of worship over the centuries.
The church stands on the Strada Comunale di Talciona and is easy to reach from the center of Poggibonsi. A visit usually requires booking in advance, since the building is not open at all times.
The arch above the main door is carved with palmettes and bears a dated inscription from 1234, alongside a relief of the Magi kneeling before the Christ child, one of the oldest surviving stone carvings in the area. This detail shows that the building served as a place of artistic expression from very early on, not only as a place of prayer.
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