The church of San Leonardo in Treponzio, dedicated to Saint Leonard of Limoges, is a Romanesque church in the village of the same name in Capannori, declared a national monument. It belongs to the Tuscan Romanesque that reached its peak in Lucca and Pisa in the twelfth century; the art historian Ragghianti considered it the archetype of the other twelfth-century churches. It probably rose over a smaller church. In the early twelfth century there was a hospice for pilgrims beside it: a document of 30 November 1115 records the gift of an olive grove whose fruit was to feed them.
What to see
Like the church of Sant'Alessandro in Lucca, it returns to a basilican space and has very carefully built walls, in which courses of different heights become decoration, with architectural members standing out against smooth surfaces. At the end of the twelfth century the façade was completed with a doorway inspired by the motifs of Guidetto's workshop: on the archivolt the master's signature motif can be recognised, a vine scroll with swelling leaves, fantastic animals and hunting scenes.
From 1179 to 1193 the rector of the complex was Benedetto, who gave it a strong boost and at his death was venerated as a saint by the faithful; in 1387 his body was moved to the cathedral of San Martino in Lucca. In 1426 church and hospice were annexed to the monastery of Santa Maria della Fregionaia. The bell tower, standing well apart from the church, has a set of ten bells.
Visiting
In November 2025 lightning damaged the bell tower: before going it is worth checking openings and any works.
Our editors' tip
On the south side, where the old cemetery was, stands a milestone with an inscription of 1276 giving the distance to Lucca in perches: a sign of the ancient road along which church and hospice stood.
