The church was erected by the Dominican order in the second half of the 13th century with bricks from the razed Augusta fortress. The exterior remains unfinished. Inside is the tomb of San Romano, built in 1490 by
Matteo Civitali. The church once held altarpieces by
Fra Bartolomeo. The elegantly decorated interior was refurbished in 1635 by the architect
Vincenzo Buonamici. The nave is presently used as an auditorium. A 1877 survey from Ridolfi's
Guide to Lucca noted among the artworks in the church was a canvas depicting a
Miracle by St Stanislao allowing dead man to speak by
Domenico Viola in the third altar on the right. In the chapel adjacent to the sacristy was a painting depicting the
Miracle of St Raimondi crossing the river on his mantle by
Pietro Paolini and an
Assumption of the Virgin by Guidotti. In the choir were three painting by Domenico Lombardi, including the
Martyrdom of St Romano and
Episodes in the life of the Blessed Bernardo Tolomei including a miracle resuscitating a mason. These were moved in 1873 to the former Olivetan church of San Ponziano. The apse of the church had a marble tomb monument dedicated to San Romano, by
Matteo Civitali. On the chapels near the apse are painting depicting the
Circumcision of Christ (1535) by
Rutilio Manetti and depictions of
St Peter and
St Sixtus, pope, by Domenico Lombardi. Another chapel had a
Virgin of the Misericodia by
Fra Bartolommeo and a
Virgin of the Rosary and Saints by
Giorgio Vasari. On the second altar on the left side of the nave was a
St Hyacinth, dominican priest, resurrects a boy by
Domenico Passignani. The next altars had a Crucifixion and Thomas Acquinas by Vanni and another altarpiece by Fra Bartolommeo, now in pinacodeca. The
Descent of the Holy Spirit among the Apostles (1636) had been painted by
Andrea Coppola. ==References==