Oratory of San Quirico in Casale
The Oratory of San Quirico in Casale has been documented since 1023. The building represents one of the most effective examples of the "minor" Romanesque style widespread in the Lucca area. Documents show that the church stood near a convent founded by Bishop Rangerio (1091-1112).
During the Second World War, it suffered severe damage, necessitating the replacement of the roof. More recently, in 2007, consolidation and restoration work was carried out, restoring the building to its original Romanesque appearance.
The church's floor plan features a single rectangular hall with a slightly projecting apse. The masonry is constructed of squared blocks of Verrucana stone, sourced from the nearby Guamo quarries. The façade has a gabled roof and is faced with squared stone ashlars. At the center of the façade is the entrance portal, with a rectangular opening, framed by two pilasters surmounted by curved corbels and a cusped architrave. Above, there is a cross-shaped opening. A small bell gable sits on the roof.
Itinera Romanica (Romanesque itineraries)
Today the church is an important stop on one of the many Romanesque itineraries that characterize the Upper Tyrrhenian area, between Italy and France.
Nature, historical, and cultural itineraries that pass through small hilltop villages and rural areas along paths and ancient trails, where you encounter minor religious architecture to be rediscovered and enhanced, such as churches, basilicas, parish churches, and chapels.