Basilica of San Frediano

Basilica of San Frediano stands slightly apart from Lucca’s main axis, its plain Romanesque mass crowned by a luminous 13th c façade mosaic of the Ascension that turns a neighborhood church into a civic landmark. Tradition links the site to St Frediano, an Irish bishop of the 6th c, while the present building largely took shape in the 12th c, reflecting the city’s medieval confidence. Inside, wide arcades and chapels hold Lucca’s local devotions, above all the glass shrine of St Zita (1212–72), where everyday charity became a model of sanctity.