Resumen de La cappella dell'antico palazzo dei Vescovi di Pistoia: una nuova ipotesi
The episcopal chapel of San Niccolò in Pistoia, built over the famous Sacristy of San Jacopo at the end of the 12th century, is unique in the city's architecture and a rarity in Italy, due to its type of structure and unusual hanginig apse. These characteristics and the refined decoration of the brick facing, combined with the discovery that no specific in-depth analysis has yet been made in critical literature, were the departure points for the study published here. In seeking an archetype that may have inspired the chapel, we arrived at a new interpretation which suggests that is symbolically linked to the Chapel of San Nicola (now destroyed) the Lateran Palace. The bishop's political role and function as spiritual guide; the gradual divestment of his authority; the hegemonic presence of the Empire; the growing power of the Comune, and Pistoia's being an international pilgrimage destination, formed the backdrop to this project whose symbolic meaning was expressed through the architectural features of the bishop's chapel of San Niccolò.
