Chiesa dei Santi Giovanni e Reparata
Stand at the entrance of Santi Giovanni e Reparata and you're looking at a portal carved by a sculptor named Villano in 1187 — still intact, still doing its job, while everything around it was rebuilt and reordered over the centuries. This was Lucca's first cathedral, the seat of its bishops long before San Martino took over that role in the early 8th century.
What the church offers now is something rarer than a single beautiful building: five layers of time stacked directly beneath your feet. A metal walkway carries you over Roman baths, an early Christian baptistery, Lombard-era tombs, and a Carolingian crypt — all visible, all legible, and all sitting under the 12th-century basilica that still stands above them.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who've been twice tend to mention the graffito deep in the underground chambers — a rough image marking the transfer of Santa Reparata's relics from Palestine to Benevento. Easy to walk past, worth pausing for. The audio guide in English earns its €4 ticket price down here more than anywhere else in the building.
The story behind Chiesa dei Santi Giovanni e Reparata
The site goes back to the second half of the 4th century, when an early Christian complex rose over a Roman settlement that had already included a domus and public baths. For roughly three hundred years this was the diocesan cathedral of Lucca, until the bishop's seat shifted to San Martino in the early 700s. Santi Giovanni e Reparata kept its baptismal rights, which gave it continued importance — the octagonal baptistery with its dome on a square base dates to 1393.
The Napoleonic government seized the building in the early 1800s, stripped it, and used it for archival storage. It reopened for worship in 1828. Then, in the late 1970s, excavations began that would eventually expose all five archaeological strata. The site opened to the public in 1992. Domenico Martinelli's Baroque Chapel of Sant'Ignazio and a surviving fragment of Matteo Civitali's 1496 eucharistic tabernacle — the rest is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London — mark two of the more specific human stories the building holds.
Good to know
Entry is €4 for the church, archaeological area, baptistery, and bell tower combined; a €10 joint ticket covers the Cathedral and its museum too. Hours contract significantly in winter (weekdays 10:00–14:00 from November to mid-March), so check before you go. Ramps are available for wheelchair users.
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What travellers say about Chiesa dei Santi Giovanni e Reparata
There is an entrance fee in the church. It used to be former cathedral. Archeological layers in the basement which are accessible. Frescoes and other art. The creepy metal stairs to the tower which is atop covered by nets so it is not convenient to take any photos from there.
Went here for the Pucinni daily 7pm concert We bought tickets online (30€/person) and it was really worth it!! The acustic in the church ia great 😌
The 7:00 p.m. nightly Puccini concert was wonderful! The selections are brief so even those who can't tolerate long opera can enjoy these musical tidbits! The performers are classy and extremely well-trained. The setting is magnificent! My only warning is that if you read that these are free, as we had done, don't believe it! The cost is €30 per person and they do not take credit cards! As shocking as it was for us when we expected it to be free, I must say it was still worthwhile! And one other piece of advice, if you want to understand the words pay the extra €5 to get the libretto in Italian and English. Then the program for the night directs you to a particular page where you can follow along in the Italian and glance to the right to see the English. It makes the short performances much more interesting!
Located close to the duomo, this church imposes with a huge brick cupola and roman excavations in the underground. Combi ticket ( duomo, bell tower and San Giovanni) is available.
Enjoyed the good concert here at this church. The acoustic was very bright and great for singer. The accompanist was well equipped fir the two singers. Loved the repertoire presented.
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