Churches no longer as churches: the urban case study in Pisa

Abstract

The urban tissue of Pisa is characterized by the presence of many churches built mostly in the Middle Ages (XI-XIII); however, the gradual reduction of the believer’s number in contrast to the widespread of churches, brought to re-functionalization of many of them, who have been 'fold' to improper uses. The reuse of these churches has reactivated places partially or completely abandoned that acquired new values within the city; the re-functionalization has allowed a renewal or a continuity of use of spaces, once sacred, and today voted to daily needs. This paper will describe changes in the perception/ fruition of the sacred architecture in the urban reality of Pisa: a good example of how, to the official function associated with the cult, replaced a profane use that allowed to these areas to assume a new identity within contemporary society.