Founded in 1296 by Carmelite friars as a Romanesque structure, the Church of Saints Jacopo and Filippo (also known as the Carmine Church) stands in Montecatini Alto, a hilltop frazione of Montecatini Terme in the province of Pistoia. The building took on its present appearance in 1764, when it was almost completely rebuilt in the Baroque style, leaving a simple gabled façade on the exterior.
What to see
The single-nave interior houses a collection of sacred artworks dating from the 14th through the 19th centuries. Near the entrance sits a 19th-century holy water stoup carved from white marble. The walls feature a late 16th-century canvas depicting Saint Anthony of Padua and the Infant Jesus between two saints, as well as an 18th-century painting showing Tobias and the Angel alongside a Saint Bishop, Saint Joseph, and the Virgin with Child. Another canvas depicting the Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine with Saint Barbara is attributed to Jacopo Vini, son of Sebastiano Vini, despite later repainting.
A notable piece is an 18th-century reliquary altarpiece in carved and gilded wood, which frames a 14th-century panel depicting the Nursing Madonna. At the second altar on the left hangs a panel painting of Saint Sebastian executed in 1595 by Bartolomeo Marinari for the saint's devotional brotherhood. Although a heavy-handed restoration in 1934 by Pistoia painter Azeglio Tuci altered much of the figure, the saint's head and a detailed historic view of Montecatini in the background remained untouched.
Visiting
The open single-nave plan allows visitors to inspect the side altars, carved wooden reliquary, and historical paintings up close.
Our editors' tip
Look closely at the background of Bartolomeo Marinari's Saint Sebastian panel on the second altar to the left: behind the figure of the martyr, the original 1595 landscape painting preserves a rare 16th-century depiction of Montecatini.