Town Hall Square, 13th century
The Santa Chiara Church was erected at the instance of Conte Ugolino della Gherardesca by workers close to the Franciscan friars. The importance of the building, the security provided by the walled city, and the prestige attained by Villa di Chiesa during the fourteenth century, led to the episcopal see being transferred from the old location of Tratalias to the Santa Chiara Church. The initial structure consisted in a single-nave hall; around the mid-sixteenth century, works were undertaken to extend the hall, raise the presbytery, and open four chapels, thereby conferring the Latin cross shape on the current plan. The cathedral also has a square-barrelled bell tower flanking the façade. Inside the church, there is a gilded wooden altarpiece (retable), dating from around 1656.