Church of San Paolo all'Orto and Gipsoteca

Riproduzione gruppo scultoreo _ Lacoonte della gipsoteca di Pisa ( Gipsoteca di Arte antica)

The church is documented from 1086 as a regular rectory. Entrusted to the Dominican nuns of Sant'Agostino, in 1819 it passed to the Confraternity of Santa Barbara, which restored most of the furnishings. The façade is another fine example of Pisan Romanesque style, with five blind arches decorated with lozenges and round windows. The sculptures have been attributed to Biduino (12th century). The brick Bell tower was built in 1595 on the remains of the original from the 13th century. The interior has three naves divided by 12th century columns and capitals. Its appearance has been considerably altered compared to its origins by an impressive restoration campaign, commissioned by the nuns in the 15th century. Since 2005, the building has housed the Gipsoteca of ancient art of the University of Pisa.

The Gipsoteca of ancient art is housed in the religious building since 2005: the collection of plaster and bronze casts was started in the last twenty years of the 19th century and was functional to the didactics and research in the sector, offering a rich repertoire of excellent examples of sculpture and ancient relief. The Gipsoteca, originally defined Archeology Cabinet, located on the first floor of the Sapienza, exhibits works such as the Venus de Milo, the Laocoon of the Vatican Museums, the Discobolus of Myron, the Capitoline Wolf and the Apollo of the Belvedere.