Chiesa dei Santi Giovanni e Reparata

About the museum

The church of the Santi Giovanni e Reparata stands in the heart of Lucca, beside the cathedral, and is part of the Cathedral Museum and Archaeological Complex. It retains its medieval form and a Romanesque portal dating from before 1187, the only part of the Romanesque building kept when the façade was rebuilt in 1622. Inside are frescoes and sacred furnishings, mostly 17th-century, a Roman sarcophagus from the second half of the 2nd century AD reused in the Middle Ages, and the Baroque chapel of Sant’Ignazio, designed by Domenico Martinelli in 1692.

The adjoining baptistery has been linked to the church for centuries; its dome dates from the late 14th century and replaced an older Romanesque structure. Today the church is also a venue for cultural events.

Excavations and restorations, begun in the late 20th century, brought to light the layered structures beneath the church, which can be visited on metal grating walkways. The route documents the history of Lucca from the 2nd century BC to the 11th century AD: floors of a Roman domus and remains of a bath complex, mosaics of the first cathedral dedicated to Santa Reparata, a late antique baptistery, Lombard burials, a 9th-century crypt and a Romanesque building site with graffiti that can still be read.

Highlights

• Archaeological area beneath the church, visited on walkways
• Floors of a Roman domus and mosaics of the first cathedral
• 9th-century crypt and Lombard burials
• Romanesque portal dating from before 1187
• Baptistery with a 14th-century dome and the bell tower of San Giovanni

Permanent exhibition

• Area archeologica – Route on walkways beneath the church with Roman remains, mosaics of the first cathedral, a late antique baptistery, a 9th-century crypt and a Romanesque building site.

Founded

1992

Operated by

Opera del Duomo / Complesso museale e archeologico della Cattedrale di Lucca

Admission & discounts

The ticket costs €4 and includes the church, the archaeological area, the baptistery and the bell tower of San Giovanni. Free admission also for tourist guides and clergy; tickets are sold at the ticket offices of the individual sites, without reservation.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The church has ramps at its entrances; the official page provides no accessibility information for the archaeological area on the walkways or for the baptistery.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The complex offers family routes, a family offer on the combined ticket and workshops during the year.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Bookshop of the museum complex.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit